In 2006, the Road Safety Council continued to place great emphasis on the public’s awareness of road safety. This was achieved through a variety of educational channels targeting a broad cross section of the population.
Road Safety Towns
Located throughout Hong Kong, Road Safety Towns are designed to educate visitors on the importance of road safety in a fun and engaging atmosphere. Managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, bookings can be made through the educational programmes operated by the Police.
In 2006, the towns received 52,053 visitors and continued to prove their popularity with citizens of all ages. Besides being a favourite destination for kindergarteners and primary school children, Road Safety Towns are also becoming a popular choice with resident clubs, social groups, elderly organisations and other associations.
To enable even more people to experience these unique facilities, a series of Open Days were organised throughout 2006. These special events offered a fun day out for all participants, while also helping to further promote the importance of road safety.
Hong Kong’s four Road Safety Towns can be found in the following locations:
1.
Pak Fuk Road Safety Town
Pak Fuk Road, North Point
Enquiry: 2565 5716
2.
Sau Mau Ping Road Safety Town
56 Sau Ming Road, Sau Mau Ping
Enquiry: 2379 1194
3.
Shatin Road Safety Park
1 Kong Pui Street, Shatin
Enquiry: 2637 6303
4.
Tuen Mun Road Safety Town
Wu Shan Recreation Playground, Tuen Mun
Enquiry: 2463 7597
Road Safety Bus
Since it was launched in the 1970s, our Road Safety Bus has been offering an inspirational environment for children to learn about road safety. Full of colourful visuals and now featuring a simulated road environment, this high-tech educational resource serves children across the Special Administrative Region, including students, residents of housing estates and children in Youth Centres. In 2006, the bus was visited by 59,914 people, proving that it has a valuable role to play in road safety education and publicity.
When designing road safety educational programmes, it is important that each initiative is carefully tailored to the needs of specific target groups. To help the Road Safety Council better plan its educational campaigns, target groups are often sub-divided into a number of focus groups. For instance, vulnerable persons are sub-divided into kindergarteners, primary students, secondary students and elderly. Another target group is road users, who are sub-divided into drivers, professional drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and tourists. By taking a targeted approach to our community, the Council is better equipped to realise its goal of zero accidents on the road!
In 2003, the Road Safety Council announced a new initiative to boost awareness of road safety among children. In the years since, the Proficiency Badge Scheme for Youths has demonstrated a powerful ability to teach and inspire young people through interactive educational activities.
In 2006, the Scheme continued to gain support from both children and adult volunteer facilitators. Since February 2006, 82 classes have been organised for primary students, with over 1,800 children participating. In collaboration with the Road Safety Association, seven training courses for facilitators were also organised in 2005 and 2006 with some 149 participants.
Schools
A cornerstone of the Council’s educational work is to reach students with messages about road safety. This is achieved through a diverse array of activities and programmes, as well as through integration with the curricula in Primary and Junior Secondary schools, such as the subjects of General Studies, Economic and Public Affairs, Social Studies and Civic Education. Through these efforts, children gain a positive attitude to road safety and acquire important knowledge, including subjects such as safety regulations, the proper use of public transport and the causes of common traffic incidents.
The government’s current emphasis on curriculum reform is helping to reinforce these initiatives. More emphasis is now placed on students developing a positive set of values and attitudes, such as self-discipline, obeying rules and regulations, carrying out one’s duties as a citizen and respecting others. All these values and attitudes provide a strong foundation for safe driving and will hopefully encourage the younger generation to make road safety a lifelong habit.
Lectures and Seminars
Lectures and seminars play an important role in educational programmes for all ages, whether at schools, centres for the elderly or community venues.
To make sure that these lectures and seminars are interesting, engaging and relevant, great care is taken to offer targeted information. For instance, the elderly receive information on pedestrian safety to teach them how to cross roads safely. In 2006, the Council also organised education for new immigrants to Hong Kong to help them better understand local regulations and requirements.
For children, a philosophy of “learning by doing” has long been used to good effect and all schools are encouraged to provide students with the opportunity to practise what they have learned in class. It is encouraging to note that this form of education now begins even in kindergarten, with many children practising their road safety knowledge while enjoying the interactive fun and stimulus of our Road Safety Towns.
Teaching Aids
To help teachers promote road safety education and inculcate the proper attitude in students, the Education Bureau has produced a number of educational television programmes. Teachers are also supported with teaching plans that are designed to enhance students’ understanding of traffic regulations and the vital importance of obeying road rules.
Since its launch in 2002, the Driver Improvement Scheme has been helping to promote road safety in Hong Kong.
This valuable Scheme enables drivers to take a Driving Improvement Course to improve their behaviour and attitude on the road. Although drivers who incur five Driving Offence Points or more under the Road Traffic (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance can be ordered by the court to attend this course, the Scheme is actually open to everyone and welcomes all drivers who want to improve their driving skills.
Drivers who satisfactorily complete all assignments are issued with a certificate. Additionally, on the date of completion, 3 driving-offence points can be deducted from the driver’s total number of points. It should be noted that no deduction is offered to drivers with 15 or more points on the date of completion, or drivers who have already received deductions after completing the course within the previous two years.
These informative courses are available in Cantonese, Putonghua and English, and feature sharing, discussions and other activities with experienced class conductors.
Up to December 2006, nearly 9,000 drivers attended a Driving Improvement Course. Many participants said they found the course a valuable experience. Most encouragingly, some 77% of participants did not incur new Driving Offence Points within six months of completing the course.
Our efforts to educate the general public on road safety include the use of mass media and the distribution of leaflets on the streets. For more information on our educational programmes and initiatives, please visit http://www.roadsafety.gov.hk/eng/rs_camp/rs_camp.html.
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