Education

Educating the young today is instilling a set of human and moral values to shape a responsible society for tomorrow. It is the cornerstone of our Three C's — Care, Concern and Commitment — to road safety.

Spearheading our educational drive for the entire community is the very comprehensive Road Users' Code, the "bible" of road safety. Divided into 10 chapters it covers vital information for all road users, pedestrians, passengers, cyclists, all drivers, including professional drivers and motorcyclists. It also covers the language of the road — signals, traffic lights, temporary signs etc — with training programmes for our children as road users and what to do in emergencies and traffic accidents.

From the Code has spawned numerous leaflets, brochures, booklets, posters, video tapes and educational tools, each advocating a particular aspect of road safety to a specially targeted audience. These are updated when there are changes to the Law, new initiatives are instigated or improvements made to road signage. These publications are available at all Transport Department Licensing Offices, Police Stations, District Offices, the Internet and other outlets.

Multi-agency Approach

An important aspect of effective education is reaching out to the community, the hard sell of the product: road safety. This means involving the community in various activities through the District Councils, schools and centres for the elderly. Talks, seminars, carnivals and visits are provided by the Police through the various organisations needing their help to spread the word of the crucial elements of the Three C's.

'Smart Driver' Education

Many private firms and organisations employing large fleets of vehicles enlist the help of the Police to educate their drivers on considerate road usage and vehicle maintenance. Each year, as the road safety message spreads, more and more firms are joining the scheme. With the Transport Department, the Police assist public transport and professional drivers with seminars focusing on smart driving skills, correct road manners, road safety, accident black sites and driving fatigue.

Targeting professional drivers has been high on the agenda of the Road Safety Council, taking into account the sheer size and velocity of the vehicles, the large numbers of passengers they carry, and the hours they spend on the road. as witnessed last year on the Tuen Mun Road, accidents involving heavy vehicles can have a devastating effect on the community. To improve the quality of driving in Hong Kong, information on the problems encountered and common mistakes made by drivers is shared with public transport operators, trade associations, driving instructor assocations and driving school operators.

Education targeting Cyclists, Pedestrians and Passengers

	Education to other road users is not ignored. In view of the upsurge in traffic accidents involving bicycles, especially in the New Territories, the Council has placed more emphasis in promoting safe cycling in districts and schools and areas where bicycles are commonly used as a mode of transport. As part of the publicity programme, the Police warn cyclists about the awareness of road usage, to be alert to the people and vehicles around them and to follow the safety rules and to wear protective gear when cycling. Wayward pedestrians have been another target for special education programmes. Visits are made to homes and clinics for the elderly, who are extremely vulnerable to road accidents. Volunteers, the Social Welfare Department, District Councils and others organise events to advise the elderly to be careful when crossing the road. Police and traffic wardens monitor pedestrian crossings, warning those crossing the street against red lights. "Mobile Classrooms" are used to educate pedestrians who commit minor offences rather than being punished for their infraction.

Road safety education to passengers is continuing. They are always reminded of the requirements for wearing seat beats and that safety seat belts can help to reduce the severity of injury in an accident. Advice is also given to them on the rules relating to riding in a private car, taxi and other public transport, like school buses and nanny vans. This is an integral part of road safety education and every road user must understand that they have a share of responsibility in road safety.

School Educational Programme

To reach the objective of developing responsible road users, education starts at kindergarten and is an important part of the school curriculum. At primary level it comes under General Studies and at junior secondary level, road safety is covered in Economic and Public Affairs, Social Studies and Civic Education subjects. And, of course, the Road Safety Towns provide a hands-on experience for kindergarten and primary pupils.

During this development process, students acquire fundamental knowledge on the importance of road safety, causes of common traffic problems, safety regulations and proper attitudes on the use of public transport and ingrained basic knowledge of good driving behaviour as they are the drivers of the future.

Personal and social values are also strengthened in the school curriculum which includes self-discipline, respect for rules and regulations, carrying out duties as citizens of the community and respect for others. It is the learning of these values and attitudes which builds a solid foundation for good road safety habits.

Assisting teachers to promote road safety education is a series of Educational Television programmes produced by the Education and Manpower Bureau aimed at further developing students' proper attitudes on the road and on public transport. Other teaching plans have also been produced by the Bureau to enhance the understanding of traffic regulations.

The Bureau also collaborates with other government departments and voluntary organisations ─ the Information Services Department, Transport Department, Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Road Safety Association ─ to provide schools with teaching and reference materials on road safety. This collaboration provides an opportunity for students to participate in the Road Safety Symbol Design Competition and other award schemes.

Teaching aids, including videotapes and teaching kits about road safety, are available for schools' use from the Curriculum Resources Centre of the Education and Manpower Bureau.

Youngsters take to the Streets in Learning Curve

        Scattered throughout Hong Kong are pockets of small communities with no permanent residents; just thousands of transient visitors who spend a few hours a day walking and driving around the streets.

        These are the Road Safety Towns, operated by the Hong Kong Police in North Point, Sau Mau Ping, Shatin and Tuen Mun to provide hands-on road safety training for children. And to make the visit more impressive and the road safety message more sustainable, the towns are built around a simulated road environment complete with different road crossing facilities.

        Managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, with bookings under education programmes operated by the Police, the four Road Safety Towns attracted 44 276 visitors in 2003.

        Apart from hands-on training for young pedestrians, the towns also provide opportunities for children to become future model drivers by practising the concept of being a safe driver. Each town has been upgraded with interactive road safety games providing a quality presentation for kindergarten and primary school children. Hi-tech kiosks entertain the children with pedestrian and cycling skills and the basic requirements for a safe driver while other on-site activities include road safety story telling and puppet shows. Open Days are also organised for parents, teachers and the public to publicise the towns and the benefits they bring from learning road safety.

        Members of the Road Safety Patrols have been trained-up to be "Road Safety Town Assistant Pioneers" and assist the Police in receiving visitors during weekends. Not only do the Patrols serve as Road Safety Ambassadors but also provide an opportunity for the youngsters to serve the community as well.

        These towns play an invaluable and diverse role in spreading the road safety message. Initially seen as an excellent means of education for the children of Hong Kong, their role has grown substantially in recent years as seen by the increasing visits from local resident clubs, social groups, elderly organisations and community at large.

        Continuous efforts are being made by the Police to upgrade the service and facilities in the towns

to keep pace with e-technology, making road safety learning more interactive and providing a quality service to the public. Another eight interactive kiosks will be installed in the Road Safety Towns during 2004.

Road Safety Bus
	One bus plying the highways and byways of Hong Kong stands out with distinction. Actually, it could be called a school bus as it does stop off at schools throughout the territory, but not as a means of transport taking children to their place of learning.
It is the Road Safety Bus, first introduced by the Hong Kong Police Force in the seventies as a mobile lecture centre disseminating the road safety message to the public, especially children. Throughout the years, it has achieved remarkable success spreading the road safety message to a vast cross section of the community. But times are forever changing and in January 2003 a newly designed Road Safety Bus, fully equipped with hi-tech facilities, was officially launched, marking a new milestone in road safety publicity and educational work.

Keeping children actively involved in road safety activities has always been a major component of the road safety campaign, so-much-so that the colourful design of the bus body was drawn from the winning entries of the Livery Design Competition, which attracted more than 2,300 contributions from primary and secondary schools throughout the territory.

The new Road Safety Bus, 9.7m in length, is a low floor single decker. Its interior encompasses a simulated road environment with a touch of greenery.

On-board facilities include an exhibition corner, a computer zone, and a lecture area. Interactive road safety

learning facilities include an information kiosk providing road safety information, computer games and simulated driver and passenger seats. Our drivers of tomorrow can role play a number of activities to become safe drivers or passengers while reinforcing their road safety knowledge. Eventually, they will become "Smart Drivers and Bright Pedestrians" when they grow up.

As the attention span of children is limited to seconds, making the learning process more interesting has been a real challenge for the designers. Road safety quizzes and puzzle games have been introduced, allowing the children to absorb road safety knowledge more readily through games and thinking. A set of pedestrian lights accompanied with road safety story telling facilities teach the children how to cross the road safely.

A LED panel is installed on the bus displaying timely road safety information and a plasma TV simultaneously broadcasts road safety messages and Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) inside and outside the bus. The bus is also equipped with facilities for the disabled.

The new Road Safety Bus is now running around in the territory visiting kindergartens, primary schools and the community, taking an active role in disseminating the road safety message to the people of Hong Kong.

Please click www.roadsafety.gov.hk to visit the Road Safety Bus.