Port Moresby School Children Call for Safer Roads
Slow down, stay alert, and keep our roads safe.
Road accidents are the leading cause of death for children aged 5-19 in Papua New Guinea, and around the world. On average, ten children in Papua New Guinea lose their lives every week in traffic. Many more are injured, often with severe and long-lasting consequences to their health. These deaths and injuries are preventable.
From Boreboa Primary School in the heart of Port Moresby, to St Therese Catholic Primary School in Moresby South, to Koiari Park Adventist Primary School within the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) campus, children across the capital are voicing their concerns, sharing safety tips and calling for greater responsibility from both drivers and authorities.
At Boreboa: "It's a daily risk"
Every morning, Grade 4 teacher Mr David Noma joins children on the road and acts as a traffic controller to help students cross safely.
“We stop the cars to allow children to cross the road. But sometimes when I raise the flag to stop the cars, some speed up and I have to pull the kids back to avoid them getting hit,” said Mr Noma. “It is a risk, but we are playing our part to make sure the children get to school safely.”
Boreboa Primary School was selected under the Safe Journey to School Project due to its location along a busy road with a long history of traffic incidents involving students.
Funded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Foundation and implemented by the Road Traffic Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the National Department of Education (NDoE), National Capital District Commission (NCDC) and UNICEF, the project targets 12 primary schools in NCD. Since launching in October 2021, it has assessed school’s road improvements, developed a road safety curriculum, and trained teachers to build awareness in their schools.
Keturah and Ishmael, both 12, are among the many students who walk to school each day. They say speeding and drink driving are common threats.
“When we walk to school, there are some drunken drivers who are not careful. They don’t wait for the students to cross the road, they just continue driving. That’s why I’m scared. If drivers, teachers, students and everyone followed the road safety messages, we would feel safe on the roads".
“Small children especially don’t feel safe,” Ishmael added. “The road safety campaign taught us how to cross the road properly – look right, left, right and listen for cars before crossing.”
St Therese Catholic Primary School, attended by over 2,000 students aged 7 -16, was also part of the targeted campaign as there is a high risk of traffic accidents around the school.
Fifteen-year-old Tenamy travels by PMV to school each day. Like many of her classmates, she knows the dangers of careless driving.
“Sometimes I feel scared the cars may hit me, so I follow the crossing,” she said.
“Most friends have told stories about drunk drivers bumping the poles in the road. I want to ask the drivers to not drink and drive and follow the speed limit.”
Their teacher, Ms Elly Pondopetta, recalls an incident last year when a taxi struck two students waiting to cross the road. One of them, now Vice Head Girl, was treated for injuries and missed a week of school.
Her message to drivers: “Life is only one. Your destination won’t move. Please be considerate and reduce your speed".
“The pathway where children walk to school is too narrow and overcrowded. Children sometimes spill onto the road. There used to be a crossing sign, but it’s been removed. We need better infrastructure and daily awareness. These are children – they make mistakes. It is up to us to remind them every day.”
At Koiari Park “Education is key”
Although not directly part of this year’s safety campaign, students at Koiari Park Adventist Primary shared insights from their church-based road safety lessons.
“Students should be mindful of the traffic lights when they want to cross the road and be cautious of your surroundings to make sure it is safe to cross,” says Oswald, 15. “I advise other students to stick on the side of the road,” says Jefroy, 13.
“If everyone followed the road traffic rules, students would feel safe walking,” adds Oswald.
“It is good that we have traffic rules, but it’s up to the drivers to decide whether to follow the rules or not. I want the drivers to follow the traffic rules by reducing their speed, stay in their lane, and not drink drive.”
“There are signs and speed limits on the roads on campus, but we need to the drivers to take note and obey them,” said Ms. Garu Sandau, a Grade 3 teacher. “We need more education, especially for drivers who can’t read or understand the signs.’’
“Children sometimes run across the road suddenly,” added Ms. Ruthyanne, a Grade 4 teacher. “Drivers need to anticipate this and slow down – especially near schools.”
“If everyone followed the road traffic rules, students would feel safe walking,” says Oswald.
Road safety is a community effort – everyone needs to understand road safety for the roads to be safe. The message from both students and teachers across the schools is consistent: drivers must be more responsible drivers, and authorities must invest in safer infrastructure.
