Verkehrswacht Peine sponsors the safety vests worth 312 euros. The municipality of Lengede has also carried out other road safety campaigns.
162 new first graders will start school this weekend in the three municipal primary schools in Lengede, Broistedt, and Woltwiesche. At the start of school, the municipality of Lengede equips the girls and boys with bright yellow safety vests worth 312 euros, sponsored by the Peine traffic watch. This is communicated by the community of Lengede.
Children are easier to see
Not only does the new school year begin, but also the dark season soon and the new first graders often go to school alone for the first time. By wearing the reflective vests, the children can be seen much better in traffic, which also provides valuable reaction time in a potentially dangerous situation.
The little ones perceive the world of traffic differently than adults. They do not judge dangerous situations in such a way that they recognize the danger. You get distracted too quickly and are just as quickly overwhelmed by the situation.
“With the safety vest, the students can be seen much better and, above all, faster, which in turn can save lives. Provided, of course, that the vest is also worn,“ says Mayor Maren Wegener, explaining the advantages of a safety vest.
Particularly at the start of the school year, special caution and a special sense of responsibility are required, as well as an understanding for those starting school, all other students, and every other road user who starts their way to school again after the holidays or moves in public spaces.
Protection and security should be increased
The central concern of the “safety vest campaign” is to increase protection and safety in road traffic and to prevent dangerous situations. “Traffic education primarily takes place in road traffic. Correct behavior of all road users in the entire municipality is necessary as a role model,” affirmed Mayor Wegener. Equipping school beginners with safety vests covers part of the safety on the way to school.
According to its information, the municipality of Lengede was a pioneer in this regard and was the first municipality in the Peine district to present a plan for each village for a safe way to school. At the request of the SPD parliamentary group in 2017, the “school route safety” project was unanimously decided by the local council and worked on intensively over two years. “The reason and aim of this project were that participation in road traffic for children is still associated with particular dangers. The project aims to ensure that the children can go to school safely and with a good feeling,” explains the mayor.
Various measures to increase security
Safety on the way to school includes various measures that help increase safety for children on their way to school. Although the municipality of Lengede is the school sponsor of the three municipal primary schools, the responsibility for getting to and from school rests with the schools themselves. To achieve the best possible result, politics, administration, and cooperation partners, including the municipal accident insurance association (GuV) and Police, worked closely together. According to the GuV Braunschweig, the entire municipal area is not a focus of danger, but the following elements were developed and implemented as part of the project:
Short-term structural measures: The high curb on Konsumstrasse / Bäckerstrasse was extended; the entrance area of the primary school Broistedt am Wiesenweg was secured to erect a barrier.
Creation of the school route plans for all localities with a recommended route to school and marked danger areas
The campaign “yellow feet”: Yellow feet sprayed on the sidewalk draw attention to places that are difficult to see and show a recommended, safe route.
“Pedestrian pass” for preschool children: raising awareness among preschool children for walking to school in cooperation between kindergartens and primary schools.