Traffic Rules School Course – Will New Initiative take root in Ukraine?

The International Charitable Foundation “Assistance to the victims of road accidents” supports the idea of community activists to enter a separate course in traffic education in the school schedule, followed by a compulsory credit or examination.

According to the law, each road user is obliged to know and comply with the requirements of the Traffic Rules. And minors are one of the largest categories of road users, not just as pedestrians. Modern children and teenagers are cyclists, skateboarders, scooters, fans of all kinds of electric transport, which has become very popular nowadays (gyro-scooters, mono wheels, electric scooters, electric bicycles, etc.). At the same time, lack of knowledge about traffic rules, especially when driving various vehicles, lack of feeling of danger on the road, lightness – one of the most common causes of pedestrian traffic injuries and mortality, including through the fault of children. In the past year, more than 4,5 thousand accidents involving minors occurred in Ukraine, 148 children were killed. This year’s statistics show that, unfortunately, these figures are only increasing.

Obviously, there is not enough knowledge about the need to follow the rules of the road, which are cultivated within individual school subjects and educational work at school. The International Charitable Foundation, which is constantly working with the education system to raise students’ awareness of safe behavior on the road through various projects, preventive measures and actions, supports the public initiative to introduce a separate school subject in Ukraine to study the Traffic Rules.

“We believe that systemic knowledge and skills will help a child in adulthood to be aware of their responsibilities and rights as a road user, to follow traffic rules while driving, be able to provide assistance in emergency situation, will foster a sense of responsibility on the road, will promote development of driver’s career interests and abilities, “– says the director of the Foundation Inna Olifirenko.

“Of course, such training should be accompanied by an appropriate slice of the knowledge that students receive. Lest they just get acquainted and forget, or follow the example of adults who also often disregard road safety rules and form their own position as a responsible road user, ” – noted Inna Olifirenko in a comment on the Jedai TV program https://youtu.be/GVgjqHiwChk

The relevant bill will soon be proposed to the deputies of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.