Urgent Call for Driver Awareness After School Zone Incident

School zones are essential areas defined with specific speed limits and safety regulations to ensure the safety of students. The Chief Executive of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Irimaia Rokosawa, emphasized the strict necessity for drivers to comply with these regulations following an unfortunate incident in Rakiraki, where two students were injured by a vehicle near the Penang Sangam School crossing.

The two students are currently being treated at Rakiraki Hospital after allegedly being struck by a vehicle driven by a 70-year-old man. Rokosawa underscored the importance of these school zones, stating they are meant to protect students, but they rely heavily on the compliance of drivers to safety protocols, such as observing speed limits, stopping for pedestrians, and maintaining alertness.

According to the Land Transport Act 1998, it is illegal to drive faster than 40 km/h within 50 meters of a school crossing when operational. The recent incident highlights a distressing reality: children were injured while using designated pedestrian crossings due to a driver’s negligence or inattention.

Rokosawa urged drivers in Fiji to use this incident as a wake-up call, stressing that the safety of children must always be prioritized. He expressed deep concern about the current situation, where children’s lives are at risk due to reckless driving behaviors, and reinforced that there is no justification for negligence near school zones.

Previously, similar incidents have stirred calls for heightened road safety awareness, particularly in light of traffic behaviors leading to injuries and fatalities among young pedestrians. The LTA continues to advocate for collective responsibility from all road users—drivers, parents, and the community—to ensure a safer environment for children, particularly in high-traffic areas.

This ongoing commitment to improving road safety indicates a hopeful pathway towards preventing such tragedies, fostering a culture of attentiveness that ultimately safeguards the most vulnerable: our children.