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From the Discussion Board - Road Safety

During January and February Road Safety has been one of the topics under discussion. Over a hundred postings have been made from the partner schools and there has also been participation from friends in Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Posting from Marsha

In Israel there is a real problem with road accidents and many grown ups and children have lost their lives. We know that one of the reasons for accidents here is that some people have no patience and tolerance for others on the roads. The tragedy is that many people are killed or injured on the roads on a daily basis.

We have safety guards from the 6th grade who help the children cross safely in the morning and after school. There is also a volunteer who helps out during these crucial hours.

Posting from China

... it's also a global problem, especially in the developing countries, like China. During our traditional lunar new year, Spring Festival, millions of migrant workers return home from hundreds of miles away. Our train transportation and expressways are usually pretty busy.

Drivers are driving all day and all night, they are tired and road accidents frequently happen. Hundreds of passengers have been killed or injured. The railroad from Beijing to Guangzhou runs across our city and the expressway from Beijing to Zhuhai near Macao also comes across our city.

As a teacher I want to arouse the younger generation's awareness of road safety. ... respect for the life of others and that means respect for our own life. (John)

Postings from Canada

Tolerance on our roads is one of the community issues we identified also. ...

In Canada, the number of road accidents is rising at an alarming rate. There are new safety features in cars, student helpers, crossing guards and up-to-the-minute weather reports, but many drivers are too focused on getting to where they need to be.

Perhaps the bigger issue is driver impatience and lack of tolerance. Some drivers are so absorbed in their destination or own situation that they fail to consider others.

In a fast paced world sometimes we need to take time to think outside our own world. (Robert)

Posting from a pupil in Canada

I know how you feel about safety on the roads. I am a bus patroller. At my school, once you are in 6th grade and if you go on the bus you have this option. ... We have had some very bad accidents in Kingston lately. Like my best friend's, dad's friend. He was only 30, with 2 kids (one aged 3 and the other 2 months) and a very young wife. He was driving home, and was sandwiched between 2 transports and died on the scene. I am glad you brought this subject up.

Postings from pupils in Israel

The situation is very bad here. ... This country is losing real good people. (Dar)

In a little country like ours, the number of people who are killed in road accidents can be even 800! (for a little country this is many people). There were years that the number of the killed people was even more than this. In the last year, in 2003, the number of people killed in road accidents was the lowest in the last 20 years: "just" close to 200 people. (Matan)

Posting from a teacher in Singapore

There are reports of road accidents almost every day in Singapore. This is especially so during the peak hours in the morning and evening. Everyone is impatient and wants to get to their destinations as quickly as possible. ... Also never drink if you are driving. Spare a thought for others.

Posting from Indiana, USA

Road safety is an issue here in America. Many times people drive too fast, or are distracted by cell phones. Sometimes bad weather causes people to have bad accidents. But one of the saddest things is people who drink alcoholic beverages and then get in their car and kill innocent people or children because they are too drunk to be careful. America has laws to protect against things like this, but the bottom line is for any driver to be very careful and always watch out for the other guy. Sometimes no matter how careful you are, someone can hurt you ... so do your best to be careful and watch out for others.

Posting from Hong Kong

For me, in Hong Kong traffic jams are common. Hence, tolerance is very important. Otherwise, tragedies may happen.

I still remember when I was primary five. My school bus crashed with a mini-bus which was not patient enough and suddenly drove out of the parking lane. Luckily, I was not hurt! (Jacob)

Posting from Indonesia

In Indonesia there are so many rules about driving on the road. We drive at the left side because cars in my country have right side wheel drives. But the rule is only a rule that has no power. ... I used to be a "school policeman" who helped other students to cross the road. ... Our school is far from the traffic so students don't have to cross the road and are collected from school. But others located near the main road often suffer accidents. ... This program is very important for me, because so many relatives and friends, and even myself, have been injured by drivers who have no licence. (Muhammad)


Marsha has developed a road safety project in collaboration with Intel called On the Road to Safety.

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