Road safety becomes child’s play with Malta Public Transport

Students took part in an interactive theatre forum on road safety in an educational initiative by Malta Public Transport and supported by Fundación MAPFRE. The ‘Brief and Non-Boring Guide to Road Safety’ is touring middle schools around Malta and Gozo, making its first stop at St Benedict’s School in Kirkop this week.

Malcolm Galea and Jeremy Grech from More or Less Theatre produced an informative and entertaining performance that engaged 12-year-olds on the theme. Students were drawn into the discussion about consequences of distractions on the road, safety tips, and the perils of inattention.

The performers staged a series of sketches which involved students in an imaginative plot that included quizzes, game-like discussions and Q&A’s. Children were clearly absorbed by the special session and showed a level of interest that surprised even the teachers accompanying them. As one of the educators put it: “Road safety is evidently a real concern for students this age, and the interactive performance effortlessly helped them express it.”

Students spoke about accidents that may happen when they are walking with friends and not fully alert of road traffic, and about the risks of not fastening the seatbelt in the car, among other scenarios they are familiar with. Discussing handsfree technologies that allow drivers to speak on their phones, one participant said that these might still prove dangerous and illustrated her point by saying that public transport passengers would not feel safe if the bus driver were taking a handsfree call.

Malta Public Transport understands its unique role in cultivating a road safety mentality in children and, through this initiative, wants to bring the theme closer to them. The innovative campaign aims to reach 4,000 children, visiting more schools around the islands.

The 45-minute performance is being offered free of any charge to groups of students aged 10 to 13. Schools that wish to hold the session may contact Malta Public Transport on communications@publictransport.com.mt.