The Traffic Services’ Road Safety Education section has had a busy year – conveying the ABCs of road safety to thousands of learners at schools around the metropole. The job is critical – according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, children account for approximately 10% of road deaths in the country every year.
The Road Safety Education (RSE) Unit within the Traffic Service is tasked with developing a broader public understanding and appreciation for their personal safety and that of others.
While it targets all age groups and categories of road users, much of the focus is on schools and Early Childhood Development Centres.
Every year, staff attached to the RSE conduct hundreds of lectures at places of education on how to safely cross a road; observation and listening skills; understanding road signage; the importance of safety belts and general road safety.
Schools also have the option of organising field trips to the City’s Junior Traffic Centres (JTCs) in Ottery and Mitchells Plain, where learners navigate real world simulations in a more ‘show and tell’ approach.
So far this financial year (since July 2025), the unit has conducted 2 333 road safety lectures at schools and 4 748 scholar patrol visits.
‘We live in a country where our road death toll remains unacceptably high, in part due to human error, but also a complete disregard for law and order. By engaging with young children in a fun and interactive way, our officers are planting concrete ideas and positive attitudes about personal safety and responsibility, and holding others to account. They are also building relationships and changing perceptions about those in uniform. I would encourage schools and ECDs to reach out for an opportunity to have their learners experience this very popular and potentially life-saving awareness drive,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The Unit also helps schools establish their scholar patrols. This includes training learners and teachers and providing uniforms, free of charge to schools.
Its activities are supplemented by 115 Part-Time Traffic Attendants who regulate traffic around pedestrian crossings near schools.
Any schools interested in scheduling a visit to the JTTC or at their school can contact the Road Safety Education Unit via email at [email protected]
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City of Cape Town, Media Office