Promoting Road Safety Amongst Children
15 FEBRUARY 2021
When children leave home to go to school or to play, with many even residing close to busy roads, children are exposed to hazards and risks as they venture out into local roads.
More often oblivious to the dangers lingering close to them, children are particularly vulnerable road users and educating them on road safety is crucial because they are also underrepresented on issues concerning road safety with most messaging being targeted to adult road users.
According to the World Health Organization report on Road Traffic Injuries 2020, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years, with children accounting for approximately 20% of all road traffic injury related deaths worldwide. With such devasting numbers and realities, road safety education amongst children is necessary in reducing the number of injuries and fatalities annually, to preserve our future generation.
Road Safety with Ubongo Kids
At Scania, safety is at the heart of the company, and what better way to educate children on road safety, than with a fun and educative locally produced cartoon. The road safety episode produced by Ubongo, Africa's leading edutainment company that creates fun, localized and educational videos for children, is intended to create awareness amongst children on road signs and road safety rules that they should always remember when they are out on the road. “Road Safety is an important part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 that speaks towards safe and sustainable cities, and as an organisation that is committed to promoting the SDG’s, we are obliged to come up with creative and engaging ways to drive the SDG’s and this is one of them,” explains Tamara Nerima, Marketing Communications Director, Scania East Africa. By creating fun, engaging and educational content, the goal is to reach as many children and their caregivers as possible in creating awareness on road safety, and in the long run through the sharing of this information, improve road safety amongst children.
“Scania has partnered with Ubongo on this project because they have established themselves regionally as an organisation that produces quality edutainment for children, and with their vast network of broadcast partners, it will ensure that the road safety episode is watched by as many children across the region,” highlights Tamara.
The episode will be broadcast in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ovoir, DRC, Gambia, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
