Little Traffic Cops
Traffic workshops in primary schools contribute to motivate children and their parents to broaden their knowledge about traffic regulations.

Ana María Domínguez Cruz
digital@juventudrebelde.cu
October 12, 2011 0:27:18 CDT

What is a pedestrian? How are the different traffic signals classified, and what are their meanings? How can traffic accidents be avoided? What are the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol?

Searching for answers to these and other questions, Dayana Rondón, Oscar Daniel Zamora, Camila Gonzalez, Javier Méndez, Maikel Blanco and a number of their little friends in the Manuel Espinosa primary school in Bayamo, decide to become “traffic cops” as members of one the 28 interest groups in Granma province focused on Traffic Safety.

 “If we kids can learn the traffic regulations and the importance of observing them, we can exchange with adults and request them to drive safely, for their own sake and ours,” said Dayana, one of the most enthusiastic students. 

 “I want to become a doctor, but I like to know what policemen do and what must be done to avoid traffic accidents. If someday it is I at the wheel, I can´t be irresponsible and cause damages because in that case I could never be a good doctor,” commented Oscar Daniel as he put on a traffic agent´s helmet.

 “Traffic accidents cause severe damages and all of us should thoroughly know the regulations in order to drive responsibly. If we are the future drivers, we must learn now,” said Camila, who will probably follow in her mother´s steps, traffic cyclist Ana Delia Moreno, who teaches at the Operative Regulation interest group.

 “These weekly meetings with the kids in our interest group are very effective because they not only learn how to act in the streets, the meaning of signals, the speed limits in the different routes, the requirements for a vehicle to circulate- among other theoretical basics – but we also stimulate in them a sense of responsibility and collective wellbeing based on a correct individual traffic behavior”

“At these ages,” she adds,  “it is possible to profit from the motivation they feel for motorcycles, the figure of police authority, the ceremony of patrol cars and motorcycles leaving their units for duty in order to interest them in this profession and stimulate their vocational interest for this  kind of work.”


 “Law 109, the Traffic Safety Code, is another subject we study in our group to highlight the improvements of this Code over the previous one so they can share their knowledge with relatives and friends. Working with them at an early age guarantees higher probabilities that their future traffic behavior will be positive,” concluded Ana Delia.