Including road safety education in school curriculum will reduce future crashes —FRSC

THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that including the teaching of road safety in schools’ curriculum would reduce future crashes on the road.

Mr Hyginus Omeje, the FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that the policy would bring professionalism to the driving culture in the country.

‘’The foundation is faulty, we need to go back to the basics and correct so many things.

‘’It is part of the corps’ corporate strategy initiative to ensure professionalism and safeguard driving to prevent injury and death on the road,’’ he said.

He said that this would also help groom children to comply seamlessly with traffic rules and regulations when they become active road users.

Omeje said that the approval for the incorporation of the road safety education into the national curriculum was granted years back.

The FRSC boss said that the corps had been able to inculcate into drivers the need to use seat-belt while driving.

Omeje said the FRSC was committed to ensuring the successful implementation of safety education in all primary and secondary schools in the country.

According to him, the subject matter is educating the general public on proper use of highway.

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It would involve inculcating the knowledge and understanding of traffic crash and developing skills needed to avert crashes among pupils and students.

“It will also involve an understanding the consequences of road traffic crashes to national development and appreciating the roles of road safety personnel and other law enforcement agents.

“It will also entail developing a positive attitude towards road usage and curtail crash,” he said.

The sector commander said that the FRSC in conjunction with the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) had developed a school curriculum for children at primary and secondary schools.

He said the curriculum whew implemented would ensure that basic road safety drills were impacted into the pupils and students through: Civic Education, English Language, Social Studies, and Basic Sciences.

“Through these subjects, the students will learn not to prefer speed to safety when driving on highway; safety should be paramount from age four to age five,” he said.

NAN reports that in March 2012, the sustained advocacy by the FRSC to have road safety consciousness inculcated among school children and youths in the country received a boost.

This was with the merging of road safety education into school curricula in basic and senior secondary schools by the National Council of Education (NCE).

The council also approved standards for school buses as part of strategies to enhance the safety of children and youths while being conveyed to and from their schools.