G for go, Z for zebracrossing: When learning road rules is fun

The Traffic department held a Road Awareness Summer Camp at its Training Park on Baba Kharak Singh Marg to teach school kids road safety and traffic rules in a fun-filled manner. The broader aim was to infuse a sense of traffic consciousness among children to start a trend of imparting traffic education from a very young age.

They were imparted training in traffic rules and road safety, fire safety, first aid, disaster management, self defense techniques and designing of messages, posters with web-based tools.

With a view to sensitise the students about the nuances of traffic management, participating students were also taken to select intersections where they assisted Traffic Police in traffic regulation using hand signals.

Officials said young children, if made aware from the very beginning, can also influence their parents to become conscious while driving on the road or cross roads from the zebra crossings etc. Hence,the idea of the camp reflected a larger picture, they said.

Imparting traffic education can be a boring exercise and requires improvisation. Attracting students to attend such a camp was a tough task, but by adding fun activities it was made a lot more interesting, said an official.

A Nukkad Natak on the theme of road safety became the closing ceremony’s focal point. In a comic manner, a very important issue was visualised. The play focused around two friends who attempt to race on the road with their cycles, which resulted in a massive accident leading to the death of one of the two friends. Hence, educating the students in an effective manner.

The closing ceremony had Amulya Patnaik, Delhi police commissioner, as the chief guest. “Organising Road Safety Camp of school children is one of the most outstanding initiative, which Delhi Traffic Police has taken over the years to catch children at formative stage and make them used to traffic rules and regulations” said Amulya Patnaik.