On the Roads, Afterschool!

One thing that Indian kids need to learn about is traffic safety. Two reasons - to be safe on the roads, to help parents (and drivers) be good drivers!

I could not help thinking how useful well-structured traffic education is while attending a few sessions at a driving school. Do children have to be 18 to learn about road signs, about good road etiquette? I think not. We do have a few programmes in India that take traffic awareness to children.

The Chandigarh Traffic Police seems to have a well organized traffic awareness programme for school children. Its infrastructure includes a traffic park where children are "taken for a walk along the driver track and are familiarized with the meaning of different road signs and markings. They are taught to cross the road safely at the zebra crossing and are also taught the operation of the pelican traffic light installed outside some of the schools. The children are explained the meaning and operation of the Automatic Traffic Control Signals and the blinkers. They are taught the simple right of way rules in different situations such as at T-intersections, at the rotary etc."

In Hyderabad too there is a traffic awareness park located at the premises of the Jawahar Bal Bhavan (Public Gardens). However, I am unaware of any organized traffic education programme being run there.

I am sure that most cities (at least the state capitals) would have such facilities - these would be an important part of an afterschool programme.