THE Fiji Police Force states the number of young children involved in accidents is alarming.
Director traffic SSP Mitieli Divuana said despite all efforts by road safety stakeholders, Fiji continued to record accidents and fatalities involving young children.
SSP Divuana was speaking during the launch of the global road safety education (VIA) program at Marist Brothers High School in Suva on Wednesday.
“Some may argue that it is often the drivers who are at fault, which in some cases is true, however, there are other unfortunate incidents where a child’s lack of road safety knowledge has also been a factor,” he said.
“When you look at the number of young children involved in accidents between 2010 and 2019, the number is quite alarming. He said, “58 children between the ages of six and 10 years have been victims of car accidents during that period. For those aged between 11 and 15 years, there have been 73 victims.
“And for those aged between 16 and 20 years, 251 were victims.
“That’s a total of 382 victims under the age of 20 and this is worrying.
“Of this total, there were 50 deaths recorded while 220 sustained injuries. The remaining were hospitalised for a short period and sent home.”
SSP Divuana said people should ask themselves where they had failed in providing children with adequate knowledge on how to keep themselves safe on our roads.
“As a parent, we try to educate and impart as much knowledge as possible to our children. “Imagine where those children would have been today if they had not become road fatality victims.
“Imagine the life and future they would have had.”
SSP Divuana acknowledged Total Fiji’s support towards empowering and educating children on road safety.
“This is why we are all here today to launch this partnership because we care about your safety, your future and your life.”
