POLICE ISSUES ROAD SAFETY GUIDELINES AS SCHOOLS REOPEN

By Albert Onzoma
 
Arua City
 
As schools reopen for the first term of 2025 academic year, the police are urging parents and other stakeholders in the education sector to be vigilant and ensure the safety of children.
 
The regional Police Spokesperson for West Nile region SP Collins Asea who addressed journalists at his office urged parents to protect their children from wrongdoers and appealed to travelers taking children to school and those on other journeys, to avoid talking to strangers as this may expose them to risks.
 
“School is starting, I am urging parents especially those whose children are joining school for the first time to take the children to school themselves in the morning and in the evening because they don’t know how to use the road themselves at the moment and give your time to them because we have errant road users,” Asea advised.
 
Asea appealed to boda-boda riders, bus and taxi drivers to ensure that their machines are in good mechanical condition to avoid accidents.
 
“Parents should know the type of transport they are using for taking the children to school and the person who will be taking the children to school, because some of them don’t have helmets, side mirrors, others are even dirty and others like over loading children on one motorcycle up to seven plus the rider eight on one motorcycle which is not safe for your children because at the end of the day the problem will come back to me and you,” he said.  
 
Police also cautioned passengers to be proactive and speak out or report to the nearest police station when being driven at high speeds or speak out whenever they are in danger.
 
Road safety is important and when it comes to children a lot of attention is required from stakeholders, both in the education and transport sectors.