App to promote road safety around schools tested in Abuja

An app to help promote road safety around schools by star rating the quality of road infrastructure around has been successfully tested in Abuja.

The app which was developed by the International Road Assessment Program (IRAP) in partnership with Fedex and the Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOS was tested in five schools in Abuja by Safety Beyond Borders, an Afrocentric safety NGO with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.

The Star rating surveys were conducted in one of the private schools in Lokogoma; Anglican Girls Grammar School, Apo; Government Secondary School, Area 3, Garki; Junior Secondary School Area 11, Garki and Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3.

The survey was conducted using approved parameters for road construction to determine if the road infrastructure around schools promotes safety of children or puts the lives of the young road users at risk.

The data gathered were eventually submitted for processing to determine whether a school’s road is a 1 star road or a five star road. The 1 – 2 star roads put the live of the road users on higher risks than 3 star roads. 4 and 5 star roads ensure higher safety for road users.

While speaking about the project, the principal of one of the schools surveyed, Mrs. Jimoh, said the project “is a great initiative that will let the government see the safety conditions of the roads our children cross to and from schools daily.”

A public servant with the ministry in charge of roads construction in Nigeria, Mr. Garuba, described the project as a great intervention to reduce deaths and injuries around schools.

“The success of these surveys will help us in the ministry of works to see the areas we will need to improve on in promoting the safety of our school children and saving more lives”.

The project coordinator and Executive Director of Safety Beyond Borders, Olanrewaju Osho, explained that the app is still being tested to improve its efficiency.

He said more schools will be surveyed nationwide when the app is finally released.

“The star rating of schools roads will help our government to build roads that will reduce the risks our children faced while commuting to schools daily”, he said.