Bettina Jarasch, Berlin Senator for the Environment, Transport, Climate and Consumer Protection, hands out reflectors at the Traffic Safety Day on Tempelhofer Feld.
© dpa
This year, around 37,000 first-graders in Berlin will each receive a reflector to make them more visible on their way to and from school.
The reflectors, which can be attached to clothing or school bags, are provided by the foundation Bürgerstiftung Berlin. In addition, information leaflet on the subject of road safety will be distributed as well. The first day of school for first graders in Berlin is next Monday.
Especially children who are not yet familiar with their way to school are exposed to an increased risk of accidents in traffic, explained Senator for Education Astrid-Sabine Busse and Senator for Urban Mobility Bettina Jarasch. Only with appeals to the consideration of drivers it is not done. "Schoolchildren must be able to get to school safely, whether on foot, by bicycle or by public transport," Jarasch said. This includes safe sidewalks for pedestrians and bicycle paths that are not blocked by parking, a deceleration of car traffic, but also regular checks by the public order office and the police in front of schools.
According to Busse, it is important to teach children about the dangers and correct behavior in road traffic at an early age and to practice this in concrete terms. This is the responsibility of parents, but also of schools, for which this is an educational task. Busse's specific tip: "The safest route to school is often not the shortest."