OSCE Baku office backs awareness-raising road safety campaign for schools
By Nigar Orujova
The OSCE Office in Baku starts an awareness-raising campaign on
road safety for schoolchildren and their teachers on November
25.
Some 2,500 children and 250 teachers will participate in events
organized in co-operation with the Ministries of Interior and
Education at 20 secondary schools of the capital Baku.
Experts will deliver presentations to primary school teachers on
children's traffic safety issues, covering practical
awareness-raising steps as well as relevant online resources.
Presentations will be made to schoolchildren on basic traffic
rules, with a particular focus on advice for pedestrians and
vehicle passengers. Traffic police officers will be present at the
events to give advice and answer questions.
According to Omer Kilic, Acting Head of Politico-Military Unit at
the OSCE Office in Baku, this campaign aims to contribute to
Azerbaijan's efforts in raising awareness on road safety among the
population and to encourage civil society organizations to take
more active participation in this effort.
The presentations will be followed by a special event in the
schoolyard to display a simulator chair, which will demonstrate
advantages of wearing seat belts.
Ending the event, the OSCE Office will distribute booklets on road
safety and other promotional items reflecting the project's
messages in each school.
Road safety is one of the arising problems in Baku at present.
According to Baku State Traffic Police Department, over 60 road
accidents involving children were registered in Baku this year,
which lead to 13 deaths and 31 injuries.
A 2.5-fold increase in the number of vehicles in the last 10-12
years and the non-observance of traffic rules have led to an
increase in the number of accidents in Azerbaijan.
According to Interior Minister Ramil Usubov, some 40.6 percent of
the road accidents that occurred in Azerbaijan over the last four
years were related to excessive speed, 33.3 percent to the
violation of the rules of overtaking, and 3.2 percent to driving
whilst intoxicated.