Hyderabad: A city-based traffic activist has filed an online petition to the Union human resource development ministry demanding inclusion of traffic education as a mandatory subject in the school curriculum. He said doing so would ensure that all future generations be educated in traffic discipline.
The petition has secured the support of 181 people. He said the road transport authority had written tests for traffic rules before giving the driver licence but there were none of pedestrians. “Who will teach the kids who drive before they reach the minimum age, those who are riding on bicycles, asked the petitioner, Mr Kiran Kumar Goli, a resident of Kukatpally.
He said some school education boards taught traffic guidelines like following signals and using zebra crossings. “The education should be extensive, similar to other subjects like maths,” he said. He said the Road Transport Authority could help frame the syllabus.
Seeking support for the petition, he said, “The fact that transport departments of various states are unable to educate people about traffic discipline is compounding the problems. Educating the people and enforcement of rules is extremely important to reduce traffic issues,” Mr Goli said.
Asked about the proposal, Mr Vinod Kumar Kanumala, a road safety expert, said, “Adding traffic education to the school curriculum would help educate the children.
“The right people should educate the kids. In the United Kingdom they have been implementing this in the school syllabus for 30 years and it has shown good results. The government is planning to include the same in the curriculum from the next academic year.”
Mr Kaumala told this newspaper the traffic education should be taught from Class 6 and schools must make sure that a person with traffic sense and knowledge takes the classes.
