The ‘scholar patrol appreciation day’ event was hosted to pay tribute to the role that young people play in promoting road safety
Hundreds of learners representing some of Cape Town’s more than 200 scholar patrols attended a scholar patrol appreciation day at the Belhar Sports Centre today, Thursday 31 October 2019.
Road safety authorities from three spheres of government teamed up to pay tribute to the thousands of learners who don the scholar patrol uniform.
Of the 370 registered scholar patrols in the Western Cape, more than half (210) are in the Cape metropole.
Learners who attended the event were presented with certificates and medals as a token of appreciation for their dedication and service to the safety of their fellow learners.
‘Scholar patrols play a massive role in ensuring the safety of some of our most vulnerable in society, as many young children walk to school and back daily, often having to cross very busy roads. With a road safety track record like ours in South Africa, we need every bit of help that we can get, and the scholar patrol programme, which first started nearly a century ago in the U.S., has been key in those efforts. It is virtually a certainty that our pedestrian fatality rate in particular would likely be higher without their daily presence.
‘This appreciation day is also a timely reminder to road users to support our scholars on patrol by obeying their instructions, treating them with respect and help to keep them safe too,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The scholar patrol programme helps ensure the safety of learners and other road users, but also engenders respect for the law and an awareness of road safety.
Furthermore, it builds character in learners who are part of their scholar patrol as the task demands responsibility, punctuality, dedication, commitment and teamwork.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is responsible for oversight of the overall implementation and functioning of scholar patrols countrywide, and the Western Cape Department of Public Works partners with the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Service and other local authorities in the province to train and monitor scholar patrols.
More information about the programme is available here: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/general-publication/respect-scholar-patrols