School traffic culture: Issues of concern!

(Baonghean) - Educating awareness of traffic safety law compliance and forming traffic culture for high school students is very important in ensuring traffic safety. Currently, the above problem in our province still has many shortcomings...

Students riding electric bicycles without helmets on Le Hong Phong Street (Vinh City). Photo: Tran Hai

Things seen

At nearly 11:30 a.m. on October 16, at the gate of Le Viet Thuat High School (Vinh City), on Phong Dinh Cang Street, less than 5 minutes after the school bell rang, students rushed out, jostling in a very chaotic manner. Most of them rode bicycles, electric bicycles, a few were picked up by their parents. The road in front of the school gate was almost completely blocked as many students stopped on the road to wait for each other, lining up in rows of three or four to go. And most of the students riding electric bicycles were not wearing helmets,...

At Nguyen Truong To Private High School (Vinh City), students using motorbikes is quite common. Just a few dozen meters from the school gate, there are 2 parking spots for students of local households, bicycles and electric bicycles are parked outside, while motorbikes are "hidden" inside the house. Representatives of the school boards that we contacted all confirmed, "the school strictly prohibits students from riding motorbikes to school and is quite assured because no student brings a motorbike into the school garage."

At 4:30 p.m. on October 16, at the intersection of Nguyen Sy Sach and Ha Huy Tap, during rush hour, students from Ha Huy Tap High School (from Phan Boi Chau and Nguyen Sy Sach streets), Nguyen Truong To High School (from Ha Huy Tap streets), Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School, and Huynh Thuc Khang High School (from Nguyen Van Cu streets) were returning home from school. Although there were 3 traffic police officers on duty at this intersection, most of the students "innocently" went straight or turned left when the traffic light turned red, causing many cars and motorbikes to brake suddenly. By 5 p.m., the intersection was partially blocked, forcing 2 male traffic police officers to step in to regulate traffic. While other vehicles complied, many students on bicycles ignored them, making the traffic police officers' job very difficult. However, none of them were punished.

Need practical solutions

According to the report of the Department of Education and Training, in the first 6 months of 2014 alone, out of 1,542 cases of law violations by students in the whole province, there were 1,267 cases of violations of the Road Traffic Law with common errors: driving a motorbike when underage, not having a motorbike license, running red lights, weaving, not wearing helmets... According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoan - Deputy Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training, the situation of students violating traffic safety laws is much more complicated than the above figure, especially among high school students - this is the age group with many changes in psychology and physiology that easily lead to traffic safety violations.

Recently, the Department of Education and Training has issued a document requiring primary schools in the province to integrate and adapt traffic safety education and life skills at least once a week during and outside of extracurricular hours. Up to now, many schools in the province have built a model system, organized fun activities, created situations, etc. to help children have the opportunity to better understand traffic light signals, signals and instructions of road signs; skills for walking on the road, crossing the road, and cycling safely on the road.

Mr. Duong Xuan Hong - Principal of Nghi Phu Primary School, said: "The school implements many measures to propagate the Traffic Law to teachers, students, and parents. Once a year, it organizes a contest to learn about traffic safety for students; organizes for staff, teachers, and students to sign a commitment to traffic safety at the beginning of the school year; builds a traffic-safe school gate...".

Dinh Bat Tuy High School (Hung Nguyen) is located near a residential area, close to Provincial Road 558, so there are many potential risks of traffic accidents. However, in recent years, the school has not had any cases of students being disciplined for violating traffic safety or traffic accidents. Mr. Le Tat Dao - Principal of the school, said: "The school's Board of Directors directs the Youth Union to maintain the activities of the Volunteer Shock Team well in guiding and directing traffic, reminding students not to wait for each other at the school gate. Any student who violates the law will have their name recorded, be notified to the class for a warning, and if they repeat the offense many times, their conduct will be reduced. The school also manages the use of electric bicycles well, strictly prohibiting students from riding motorbikes to school. Every year, the school organizes 3-4 propaganda sessions on Traffic Law, traffic safety competitions, organizes students to sign traffic safety commitments at the beginning of the school year; especially resolutely handling students who violate traffic safety laws such as notifying parents, reducing their conduct...".

However, the issue of traffic safety education in general schools still has many shortcomings. Ms. Lo Thi Thu Ha - Teacher of Civic Education - Le Viet Thuat High School said: "In schools, there is currently no unified curriculum framework on traffic safety for all 3 levels. Knowledge about traffic laws is only introduced sporadically in the subject of civic education. Every year, students are educated about traffic safety laws by the school in coordination with the police, but the education only focuses on traffic safety laws and not on traffic culture. Meanwhile, traffic culture is not only strictly following traffic laws, but also having a sense of community when participating in traffic and behaving in a civilized manner when traveling on the road, such as participating in traffic slowly, calmly, giving priority to the elderly and children, knowing how to apologize and thank when there is a collision... Therefore, the effectiveness of education is still lacking and the impact on students is limited. Mr. Do Van Nho - Teacher of Ha Huy Tap Primary School (Vinh City) said know: “In addition to the current theoretical lessons, it is necessary to increase practical lessons so that students have the opportunity to understand more about traffic safety regulations. In particular, I highly agree with the view that it is necessary to show students images of violations and the consequences of traffic accidents, which will have a stronger impact on their awareness, thereby forming a sense of good compliance with the Traffic Law for students right from the time they go to school.”

Another issue is that it is necessary to further strengthen the coordination between schools and the traffic police force. According to Mr. Tran Cao Cuong - Secretary of the Youth Union of Ha Huy Tap High School, the traffic police force needs to seriously handle this subject like the cases of motorbikes such as temporarily impounding the violating vehicle, reporting to the school to have a basis for classifying the student's conduct, or notifying the parents to pay the fine to get the vehicle back... only then will it have a strong deterrent effect on violating students.

In order for school traffic culture to truly become a regular practice, it is necessary to step up propaganda and education so that students can clearly see that the consequences of traffic accidents are unpredictable disasters, great losses that cannot be compensated; the handling of students who violate the law must be positive and sufficiently deterrent; parents must realize that their children's violations are partly their fault, thereby sharing responsibility with the school and their homeroom teachers in educating their students to avoid the dangers of traffic accidents...

Minh Quan