Road safety depends on the behavior of drivers, passengers and pedestrians, but the state also has responsibilities to uphold. A group of students in Russia chose to appeal to theirs in order to improve the poor road conditions in their community.
The ideas
High school students at the Kirov Physics-Mathematical Lyceum in Russia could see many problems with road safety within their community. They discussed key factors like driving while intoxicated, the terrible state of some roads in Russia, drivers’ reckless or careless behavior, the lack of railings on the roads, and the large amount of litter that collects on roads.
After identifying as many problems as they could, they knew it was very important to take action and try to solve them. They began to brainstorm ideas on how to start. For example, they considered trying to get special lamps installed at pedestrian crossings, or clearing the excess litter from the roadside. They were determined to achieve one key goal – to do their part to stop the thousands of deaths that result from road accidents.
Finally, after lots of discussion, they made their final decision as to what they would do.
The initiatives
The students decided that the most urgent need was to improve road conditions in the area, and the only way to do this was to approach the government and try to get a grant to fund the project. They developed their plan of how to most effectively improve the road conditions, and created a presentation to take to the government.
The presentation, which used mixed media including video, PowerPoint and animation and was done entirely by the students, presented tangible solutions to the most serious road safety problems for the community. It addressed road conditions themselves, like potholes and poorly paved roads, as well as issues like road litter, poorly lit pedestrian crossings, and the lack of speed barriers. Finally, it suggested more actions to change behaviors, like increased road safety education at school and increased enforcement of drink driving laws.
They students are counting on their government to give them a grant to implement their initiatives. By doing so, the government will show that it cares about the community and the safety of all citizens. The students are also sharing their ideas with the community in general to raise awareness and generate support before approaching the government.
