Primary-school pupils will more intensely study road safety this year as part of the school curriculum, education ministry spokesperson Tommy Makhode said on Thursday.
Road-safety awareness has always been taught in grade one, said Makhode. The aim of the reintroduction of road-safety lessons in schools is to make them more comprehensive.
Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said the department is hoping to educate the nation through it.
“In an effort to reduce the number of deaths on our roads, we want to educate the South Africans through our children,” he said.
Road-safety education will form part of the curriculum of pupils in grades one to nine.
“This will ensure that we lay a solid platform to have responsible road users, as children will be taught life skills related to road safety,” Msibi said.
In the lower grades, pupils will learn about traffic signs, with the emphasis on more complex traffic laws in higher grades.
Msibi said the education programme will not replace the Arrive Alive campaign.
“We take it that if the Arrive Alive campaign was not there at all, the rate of fatalities we are experiencing could have been much higher than we have,” Msibi said.
The death toll on South Africa’s roads over the festive season had risen to 1Â 248 by Thursday.
“We have embarked on extensive educational programmes, which have reached 90% of radio listeners and 80% of television viewers.
“Many South Africans know and understand what Arrive Alive stands for. However, what we need to do is to ensure that the knowledge is translated into correct road-user behaviour,” Msibi added. “We are hoping that it will make a difference.”