Vivo Energy Uganda, the company that distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants has resumed this year’s Road Safety Education campaign with a teachers’ training that took place at Bat Valley Primary School on Thursday 19th March 2015.
Over 50 teachers from different primary schools that are part of the road safety programme received the training to enable them accomplish their role of spearheading the road safety programme in their schools. The teachers provide leadership to the Safety ambassadors that are trained by Vivo Energy in each of these schools.
Today, statistics from Uganda Traffic Police indicate that about 3000 people die on Uganda’s roads every year and 14,000 get injured annually. Approximately 600 children lose their lives annually to road accidents.
While opening the training work shop, the Corporate Communications Manager at Vivo Energy Uganda, Ms. Cerinah Zalwango, said that Vivo Energy is investing more in road safety training across the board to support improvement in the road safety culture in Uganda. “The objective of the road safety training is to inculcate a culture of road safety consciousness among road users. We took a decision as a company to direct our focus to School Children and Bodaboda riders. We have committed to conducting continuous safety training to develop ambassadors who promote good road safety behavior,” Zalwango noted.
She further explained that Vivo Energy is targeting children mostly, because they are vulnerable victims in road accidents and they are easily influenced towards behavior change.
The traffic liaison officer, Inspector Jessica Monica Ndirugendawa who walked on clutches for eight years due to car accidents urged the teachers who are also parents to desist from putting children under the age of 5 on boda bodas without an older person.
She also urged parliament to move fast on road safety laws that will control boda bodas from transporting more than two people at once. Each rider and their passenger will also be required to wear a helmet.
The participants believe that the Vivo Energy Road safety programmes will create change in the road safety culture among Ugandans.
“This has enlightened us with more facts to pass on to children that we teach” Said Vincent Kabogoza a teacher at Railway primary School.
Last year, the Vivo Energy Road Safety Programme trained a total of 1,200 school children from 12 schools as Safety ambassadors as well as 1,200 Boda Boda operators.
The schools training programme has grown this year with an additional 20 Schools that are scheduled to receive the training.
