South Africa’s Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), as part of the country’s October Transport Month, hosted the National Schools Road Safety Debate and Participatory Education Techniques (PETs) competitions finals from 03-07 October 2016. The competing participants were learners in grades 10 and 11 provincial finalists who are themselves at-risk on roads as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, novice drivers, and passengers. The participants rose to the top of their respective provinces having successfully undergone eliminations competitions at school, district and provincial levels. 

All the nine provinces of the country were represented and competed in both the debate and PET in the following categories: 

Urban Category
Rural Category
Disability Category
The Road Safety Debate addresses the underlying issues of road safety in society at large, and gave the learners an opportunity to discuss pertinent issues affecting road safety behavior and attitudes. The method used is a participatory education approach conducted in line with the World Style of Debating and the South African Schools debating board prescripts where the learner’s debate on contemporary topics.  One team proposes the motion and the other opposes and their arguments in both sides should reveal the magnitude of research done on the topics.

Motions debated included: 

Road safety education in schools is adequate to prepare the young people to be safer road users.
Travelling in a vehicle without wearing seatbelts is a significant contributor to road traffic fatalities in South Africa
This house affirms that road traffic crashes have a negative effect on the economy of the country.
This house should revoke driver licenses at age 66 for the elderly.
Minimum vehicle standards as regulated in South Africa are adequate to ensure safer vehicles on our roads.
The PET competition provided learners a hands-on opportunity to solve their own community’s road safety problems.  The learners identified road safety problems in their communities and researched solutions to the problems. The various teams employed different participatory methods such as engineering skills, dramatic arts, arts and crafts skills, public speaking and English language proficiency to present their problems and solutions.

The adjudication of the debates and PETs were conducted by representatives of WHO, RTMC, Cross-Border Road Transport Agency, Department of Basic Education, Department of Transport, Tshwane Municipality and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

WHO’s presence and the established working relationship with RTMC was acknowledged by its Chief Executive Officer and acting Director General from the Department of Transport.

The World Health Organization Country Representative, Dr Rufaro Chatora, gave a message of support through a prerecorded video presentation covering: 

UN General Assembly’s resolution on “Improving Global Road Safety”. The resolution affirmed the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on road safety outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: SDG target 3.6, which aims to reduce global road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2020 and SDG target 11.2, which aims to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all by 2030.
South Africa’s implementation of its Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and its progress towards improving road safety legislation and enhancing vehicle safety.
Congratulations of the scholars and acknowledgement of their efforts in preparing and competing in the debates and Participatory Education Techniques Project.