ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi Police’s traffic and patrols department yesterday launched the second phase of a road-safety campaign geared toward protecting schoolchildren, as The National found motorists continue to drive at high speeds near schools.
The National yesterday took a radar gun to Abu Dhabi Indian School on 23rd St, between Fourth Street and the Corniche al Qurm, at about 2pm, half an hour after children had been let out of class for the day.
Although the road is a 60kph zone, some drivers were clocked travelling at more than 90kph.
A few groups of children accompanied by adults used the crossing when there were gaps in the traffic.
The principal of the school, which has children from kindergarten up to senior secondary, agreed that some parents picking up and dropping off pupils drove too fast.
Motorists were urged by police to respect speed limits around schools and be vigilant, especially at the start and end of the school day.
Traffic police are involving 200 students in their month-long campaign across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia.
The children will hand out brochures to their parents and at petrol stations, and participate in police seminars. The students, who will wear a band bearing the campaign slogan “Our safety is your responsibility”, will be accompanied by officers when distributing the brochures.
Col Hamad al Shamsi, director of the traffic and patrols department, said the students would urge motorists to drive safely, give priority to students crossing the road, slow down in front of schools and not to use their horns nearby.
Drivers should also give way for school buses, Col Shamsi said.
Since last September, police have held 52 road safety seminars at different schools, for school bus drivers and 4,674 motorists and students, he said.
Vijay Mathu, principal of the Abu Dhabi Indian School, said signs were posted in the parking lot more than two years ago asking parents to drive slowly “for the safety of your dear children”.
“It’s not a lot of parents, but a few, dropping the children and rushing off,” Mr Mathu said.
“Because probably they left late from home, they want to drop the children off in front of the school so they are on time for their appointments.”
The school has a strict policy stating that parents must accompany their children crossing the road.
“Otherwise we do not allow them to cross,” said KK Sabharwal, a school administrator.
“At times parents don’t listen, that is a problem. You tell them, these are small children.”
Mr Sabharwal said a police patrol car posted at the school when classes were let out would help to force people to slow down.
Outside the school yesterday, Milton Dennison, a physical education teacher at the school who lives nearby, said he was worried for the safety of his son, Aaron, 10, when he sent him out on errands.
Mr Dennison said there should be a lower speed limit near the school.
Aaron said he used the pedestrian crossing but motorists rarely slowed as they approached it.
“Sometimes people are going too fast and then I wait at the side of the road.”
At the International School of Choueifat on Mohammed bin Khalifa Street, Youssef Lama walked through the school’s parking lot holding the hands of his twin nine-year-old daughters.
Mr Lama said the way some motorists drove near the school was definitely a concern and he pointed out that some were parked across the elevated pedestrian crossing, which is designed to make children more visible to motorists.
Abir Ahmed said she made sure to pick up her daughter, Habiba Shabrawi, every day because she had seen other children walking among vehicles and crossing the roads without supervision.
“Especially those who go for the bus as transportation, it is dangerous for them,” Ms Ahmed said.
Matthew Chung