‘Include road safety in class curriculum’

Motorcycle manufacturers are calling for the development of a school curriculum that will incorporate road safety awareness.  

The Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association brought their road safety advocacy activities to San Beda College in Alabang on September 2.

One hundred boy and girl scouts in Grades 3, 5 and 6 were taught to cope with the increasing risks children face on the road daily and to share the knowledge with their schoolmates.

The current five members of the Association: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kymco, are all active participants of the government’s MVDP.

“Road accidents involving kids are increasing by the day, and that is alarming,” said MDPPA road safety vice chairman Magnus Mateo. “Streets are like jungles dangerous to kids unless they are properly educated,” Mateo said. 

The group pointed out that young pedestrians’ field of vision is limited by their short height.

The scouts learned how to properly cross the street with or without traffic lights, and what to do to ensure safety when walking down the street or doing outdoor activities. The MDPPA team also discussed road visibility during bad weather, and drivers’ blind spots, and how the scouts can be more attentive during these situations. 

MDPPA has been conducting road safety seminars in different schools since 2013, and has trained around 300 students all over the country in street safety. 

For more details on MDPPA’s road safety advocacy and upcoming seminar schedules, please visit https://www.facebook.com/MDPPA.Official/ or follow https://twitter.com/MDPPA_Inc. 

The association was established in 1973 to apply the basic principles of the MVDP implemented by the Board of Investments. In 1987, new MVDP guidelines were finalized and program name was, likewise, changed to Motorcycle Development Program. The association adopted its present name in 1989.