Transport-related accidents cause most children’s deaths, Lagos declares
• Says 12m die, 50m disabled from road accidents yearly
Lagos State Government has said transport-related accidents remain one of the leading causes of death among children and young people worldwide. The Special Adviser on Transportation to Lagos State Governor, Mr Sola Giwa, stated this, yesterday, at the relaunch of the Lagos State School Safety Traffic Advocacy Programme.
With more than 12 million people dying each year, and up to 50 million people disabled by road accidents and crashes, he said it had been well established that behaviours and attitudes toward road use were often formed during childhood.
Giwa added that the school advocacy programme aimed to shape attitudes positively, ensuring, especially, that children would become responsible drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists and, above all, responsible citizens in the future.
“Today, we reaffirm our collective commitment to making Lagos a safer state for our children and future generations by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to navigate our roads responsibly.
“This initiative, spearheaded by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, reflects the government’s determination to address two critical issues: the lack of traffic knowledge and poor road attitudes that contribute to gridlock and road safety challenges in our state.
“Research has shown that the majority of commercial and professional drivers in our society have limited exposure to traffic safety education. Many are primary school graduates or individuals, who did not complete secondary education, yet they play vital roles in our transportation system. Additionally, our children and young people, whether as pedestrians, passengers or cyclists share these roads daily, making their safety an utmost priority.”
Giwa stated that the re-launch of the initiative underscored the state government’s renewed commitment to traffic safety education.
By equipping our schools and communities with the necessary knowledge, he said the government was not only addressing immediate safety concerns but also creating a traffic-conscious generation.
“However, the success of the initiative depends on the active participation of all stakeholders.” The General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Bakare-Oki Olalekan, said the idea of the Lagos State School Traffic Safety Advocacy Programme for children in school as taught by the agency, was geared towards ensuring that children, in their formative years understood how to identify a safe situation. Oki further said that the school safety advocacy is to inculcate a culture of discipline in children, teaching them to endeavour to walk on pavements.
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