IN PHOTOS: Ideas to keep kids safe on the road

MANILA, Philippines – Road safety advocates, parents, and hundreds of children gathered on Friday, October 6, to spread awareness on the serious issue of road safety, as they marked International Walk to School Week.

Organized by Safe Kids Philippines and FedEx Philippines in partnership with schools, the event aimed to raise awareness about dangers on the road.

“We want to make more people aware of the need for safety of children. Before, I wasn’t aware that 500 children at least die every day in the world. When I realized that in two weeks’ time, more people would have died than Haiyan. I realized that we have to do something,” said Jesus dela Fuente, executive director of Safe Kids Philippines. 

In the Philippines alone, more than 500 children died every year from 2006 to 2014 due to road traffic crashes.

Road traffic injuries have also been among the top causes of deaths among 5 to 24 years old, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The effort to raise awareness on children’s safety has been an annual activity since 2004 in 5 cities: Pasay, Paranaque, Angeles, Cebu, and Quezon City. However, this is the first year that the event was organized not by the organization, but by the schools. 

According to dela Fuente, he decided to hold a contest among the various school beneficiaries of Safe Kids to empower and motivate them to come up with creative ideas on promoting road safety in their communities. The best idea will win a cash prize of P15,000.

The culminating event was held at Timoteo Paez Elementary school where an estimate of 400 Grade 4 to 6 students participated. 

Road safety advocates and barangay officials also gave safety tips to the children. These include basic signs on the road, traffic hand signals, responsible road use and driver’s perspective.

Here are some of the student’s ideas during the culminating event:

According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among 10- to 19-year-olds. Without proper measures to address the issue, it is predicted that it will the 5th leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. – Rappler.com