By: Precious Miracle Kargbo
In a bid to foster and enhance easy access to Hammond Preparatory and International Secondary School in kissy, the Director of Safety and Enforcement Augustine Kaitongie has on Thursday 9th November 2023 donated Road Safety Lollipop Stick to the School as they close their safety sensitization tour to schools in Freetown.
Donating the stick to the school, Mr. Kaitongie noted that apart from visiting the school with road safety messages ，it is almost important for the authority to identify ways to help the school and one way he said was to help the school with that stick which he noted will help to” stop” vehicles and allow the children to go to and fro the school environment, especially in the morning hours when coming and in the evening when the street will be so busy.
Director Kaitongie intimated to the pupils and School Administration that if that stick is properly used, then no children will get involve into crashes.
Emphasizing on the importance of the visit, Mr. Kaitongie noted that recent statistics on road crashes indicated that about 1.3 Million people lost either their life or part of their bodies in crashes adding that it is against that backdrop that the Authority has decided to visit the school with road safety messages in order to reduce the risk of crashes among school going pupils.
“I am with the strongest belief that after this visit no child in this will get involved in any road crash “He said.
Mr. Kaitongie furthers that after that visit ，the Authority will establish School Road Safety Clubs from which he said Road Safety Ambassadors will emerge in giving road safety Tips to pupils. Route Commander Alfred Mansaray entreated the children not to play on the road, use flashy colors at night, not to use Mobile phones on the road and always ask road safety Corps to cross strategic locations especially when walking along the road.
Mr. Mansaray told the children to be very respectful when doing so adding that is done for their own good.
In her brief address to the children ，the Principal told the children to take the road safety messages seriously and entreated the authority to ensure there are adequate zebra signs along the road. She noted Zebra Signs are no longer visible and poses seriously challenge to children.
The event was climaxed with a vote of thanks from the Head Girl of the School， Victoria Freeman who thanked the authority for such a laudable venture and for taking the step to teach them on how they should be careful on the streets so that they will be safe at all time and prevent a lot of road accidents that have been happening with a lot of children on the road. She closed that they will pay keen attention to these messages and ensures that they observe the safety lollipop stick and all other road measures.