Dubai's 6-year-old 'responsible' drivers
09:42PM Tue 8 Dec, 2015
The phrase 'start as you mean to go on' can apply to many areas of life, and on Tuesday it was the basics of road safety which was being drummed into pupils at the Horizon International School in Dubai - right before they got behind the wheel themselves.
From fastening the seat belt to abiding by speed limits, more than 80 children aged between three and six years were taught some of the road's simple yet most vital rules as part of the Audi 'Heroes in Training' session.
After a quick educational briefing on road signs and etiquette, the children climbed aboard their very own motorised mini car before making their way around a makeshift traffic course, putting their newfound knowledge to the test.
After hopping out of his mini motor, 6-year-old Elijah Cruz-Javier excitedly told Khaleej Times: "My favourite thing to do is bump other cars."
But when his teacher asked if that was how people should behave on a real road, he gave a resounding "no". "When I'm playing, like in bumper cars, then it's okay, but not in real life. You should be careful on real roads."
Rounding off the session, each of the youngsters was presented with a 'Heroes in Training' driving licence. Something 6-year-old Lucas Prosser will proudly be showing off to his brother.
"He is older than me but I will always tell him to wear his seat belt. He should put that on as soon as he gets in the car," he said.
Prosser's favourite part of Tuesday's session was learning all about the common road signs, and during his trip around the makeshift road course, he saw lots along the way.
"The first sign was for a roundabout. I went around it the right way, but my favourite sign is for the U-turn."
The 'Heroes in Training' initiative was introduced in Dubai and the Northern Emirates last year to build road safety awareness among young children.
Combining a fun exercise with basic road safety education, it has proven to be an effective way to teach an important lesson to children. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Interior announced that 55 people aged under 18 lost their lives in 2014 in car crashes.
Traffic officers also reported that 572 youngsters sustained moderate to serious injuries in 148 car accidents involving children last year. Nationwide, child deaths accounted for 7.7 per cent of the 712 people killed in road accidents in the country.
As a result, parents are being urged to get more serious about their children's safety when it comes to road rules.
-Khaleej Times
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