Gyeongnam Office of Education Strengthens Safety Facilities on Children's Commute to and from School

Gyeongnam Provincial Office of Education installed Yellow zones in front of schools to prevent traffic accidents.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Sharon] The Gyeongnam Provincial Office of Education announced on the 26th that it will implement various policies to protect children from traffic accidents, including securing pedestrian paths within schools, replacing old school buses, and strengthening traffic safety education, following the enforcement of the revised "Road Traffic Act Article 12 (Minsik's Law)".

First, a pedestrian path securing project will be carried out targeting schools exposed to traffic accident risks. This year, 1.38 billion KRW will be prioritized for two public single-kindergartens and 75 elementary schools where separation between sidewalks and roadways is urgently needed.

To strengthen school bus safety management, 3.3 billion KRW will be invested to replace 27 old school buses that are over 11 years old and to grasp the current status through a full survey system of school buses. Additionally, joint safety inspections of children's school buses will be conducted in cooperation with local governments, police stations, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and other related agencies.

Traffic safety education for students will also be enhanced in connection with the school curriculum. Kindergartens will provide 10 hours, elementary schools 11 hours, and middle and high schools 10 hours of traffic safety education, conducting classes more than three times per semester with various related content.

Budget support will be provided for the installation of unmanned traffic enforcement equipment and signal devices within child protection zones, and visibility facilities such as yellow carpets and yellow footprints will be expanded to help drivers easily recognize children in these zones.

Park Jong-hoon, Superintendent of Gyeongnam Education Office, said, "With the enforcement of Minsik's Law, we expect not only to expand traffic safety facilities but also to strengthen traffic safety education to prevent traffic accidents in child protection zones and ensure that children can commute to and from school more safely."