First-ever partnership on elderly pedestrian safety between RSC and District Councils
Pedestrians aged 60 or above have always been the most vulnerable group among all road users. Last year, 48 elderly pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents, accounting for about 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities. As a result, the Road Safety Council (RSC), chaired by Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Tang Kam-moon, has taken "Elderly Pedestrian Safety" as a priority in publicity.
In recent years, the RSC has co-operated with various District Councils to promote safety of elderly pedestrian. For example, "Elderly Pedestrian Safety Bus Parades" were conducted in areas with a high population of senior citizens, such as Sham Shui Po, Central and Western, Kwun Tong, Yuen Long and Wan Chai.
To spread the message on road safety to every spectrum of society, the RSC, in partnership with the 18 District Councils in Hong Kong, kicked off a Promotion of Elderly Pedestrian Safety Ceremony at the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui on June 25 - the first-ever partnership programme between the Council and all the District Councils in Hong Kong.
Officiating at the ceremony were ex-Chairman of the Road Safety Campaign Committee (RSCC), Mr Lawrence Yu; Chairman of RSCC, Dr Eric Cheng; Chairpersons and representatives of 18 Traffic and Transport Committees; Chief Superintendent (Traffic) Stephen Verralls; Senior Superintendent (SSP) (Traffic) Angela Ng and all Regional SSPs Traffic. Lending their support for the ceremony as guests, renowned artistes appealed to the public to show more concern for the road safety of elderly citizens and to help them cross the road.
Immediately after the ceremony, the guests as well as Elderly Road Safety Ambassadors boarded a bus and paraded along Canton Road, Salisbury Road and Nathan Road to spread road safety messages. They also distributed leaflets and souvenirs at busy pedestrian crossings in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Similar publicity campaigns took place simultaneously all over the territory as well. With the full support of the 18 District Councils, officers from Regional Road Safety Teams and Police and Community Relations Offices, District Councillors, Elderly Road Safety Ambassadors and Road Safety Patrol members handed out leaflets and souvenirs to the public.
On the day of the promotion event, some 180 police officers and 240 Road Safety Patrol members pitched in to promote the tagline - "Love yourself, love your family, be a smart pedestrian" - in various parts of the territory.
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