The Volta Region of the Paediatric Society of Ghana, in partnership with the National Road Safety Authority, has launched the National Child Road Safety Campaign to ensure the safety of children in traffic areas.

This forms part of an advocacy by the Society to intensify awareness on the need to always look out for children on the roads and ensure they are not exposed to danger.

The month-long campaign would include outreaches in schools and at lorry parks, engagement with religious bodies, media, and public sensitization on road safety practices.

To whip up interest in children, an easy competition has been instituted. Children between the ages of 10 to 14 years and 15 to 19 years are encouraged to write on the topic "Children are especially vulnerable to the devastating impacts of road traffic accidents. Discuss practical measures that can be taken to improve road safety for children."

Speaking at the launch, the President of the Ghana Paediatric Society, Dr(Med) Hilda Mantebea Boye said that her outfit identifies the inherently violent nature of the traffic environment to children and hence instituted an advocacy five years ago.

"The Paediatric Society of Ghana began this advocacy in 2021. Over the last 5 years, we have continued to advocate for safety for children on our roads and in transport. Our very first theme in Ghana was “Stop! Think Child Road Safety”, today, we are saying “Road Safety for every child, everywhere.”

She expressed worry about reports of 90% of deaths of children below 18 years occurring in Low-and Middle-Income Countries, hoping the campaign would contribute to changing the narrative.

She emphasized that with intense public education, the death of children in road traffic accidents would be reduced drastically.

“We unfortunately still have frequent reports of children being involved in accidents on our roads. Sometimes they are knocked down as pedestrians, sometimes their school buses get involved in accidents, etc. These accidents are often avoidable”, she said.

She stressed a clarion call on all and sundry, indicating that “let us push for safe roads and safe means of transportation whether on land, on water, or in the air for all children across Ghana.”

The Director General of the Ghana Road Safety Authority, Abraham Amaliba, Esq disclosed that children below 16 years constitute 9% of road fatalities recorded between 2019 and 2022, stressing that the statistics represent “lives cut short, futures disrupted, and families forever changed”, he said.

He underscored the importance of prioritizing education, enforcement, and engineering interventions to protect children in the traffic environment,

Mr. Amaliba assured the Authority’s commitment to partnering with stakeholders such as the Paediatric Society of Ghana to reverse the trend of the vulnerability of children on the roads.