MORE than 400 students from Mandurah Primary School are the first in the area to be involved in the latest expansion of the Being Seen, Being Safe road safety project.
The campaign, spearheaded by police throughout Western Australia, encourages schools to implement an all-encompassing approach to road safety that includes teachers, students and parents. Since its inception in 2009, more than 10,000 children in regional WA have participated in the program.
On Friday, Mandurah Primary students put on a performance at the Mandurah Forum shopping centre, a partner of the program that has donated bright-yellow safety vests to the students. A large crowd watched them demonstrate their new knowledge of road safety.
“It was all about getting a foothold in the area,” senior constable Tam McKeown of the South Metro Police community engagement unit said of initiating the program with the school. “The pupils and staff at Mandurah Primary School are to be applauded for their efforts.”
He explained the project was based on a partnership approach to road safety, which will be an ongoing focus for participants. He initiated the Being Safe, Being Seen program “with one sole purpose in mind: to help protect our community’s most valuable asset, namely our kids.
“The great thing about this project is that it encourages individuals or organisations, who normally wouldn’t dip their toes into the field of road safety, to play a pivotal role in reducing the trauma rates on our road network and help keep our local kids safe,” he said. “I have high hopes that this local launch will act as a stimulus for an expansion of the project in the metropolitan area.”
Participating students take a pledge to become ‘road safety champions’ before being furnished with the vests, which have a strong road safety message on them. Students are encouraged to wear their vests when walking or cycling to or from school.
Later in the year, Road Safety Champion awards will be presented to the Mandurah Primary pupils who set the best road safety examples to others. The school also received a life-sized cut-out police officer, who will be present at future assemblies for photographs.
"This cause is especially close to our hearts," principal Natasha Upcott said. "We are aiming for all students to become road safety champions."
There are plans under way for Mandurah Forum, which provided the safety vests to Mandurah Primary, to do likewise with several other local primary schools in the area in the near future.
Further information on the project can be obtained by contacting South Metro community engagement unit on 9531 8836.