The General Directorate of Civil Protection also emphasizes that children’s safety relies on the vigilance and conduct of all road users.
Consequently, it urges drivers to exercise heightened caution when approaching educational institutions, reduce their speed, respect pedestrian crossings, and pay close attention to children’s movements, given that their reactions can sometimes be unpredictable.
Alongside information and awareness-raising initiatives, the General Directorate of Civil Protection will mobilize its operational units and teams to support this campaign on the ground, strengthen community-level outreach, and help ensure a rapid and effective response to any potential emergencies.
Through this campaign, the General Directorate of Civil Protection reaffirms its commitment to child safety and the prevention of traffic accidents by prioritizing—within its information and awareness efforts—education on safe behavior, vigilance, and the adoption of safety rules and practices.
As part of its annual prevention and awareness program, and coinciding with the start of the 2026–2027 school year, the General Directorate of Civil Protection is organizing a national awareness campaign focused on preventing traffic accidents involving children during their commutes between home and school.
This campaign builds upon previous awareness initiatives that highlighted the risks children face during their daily commutes and emphasized the crucial role parents play in ensuring their safety and protection.
For the new academic year, the General Directorate of Civil Protection aims to strengthen and expand this preventive approach by prioritizing the teaching of safe behaviors to children—particularly those in the early stages of primary education—and helping them gradually adopt safety rules and practices. The campaign also seeks to foster greater vigilance among all road users.
Through this campaign, the General Directorate of Civil Protection emphasizes that preventing accidents along school routes should not be limited to the start of the school year; rather, it must be a continuous, long-term effort. This involves teaching children—whether at home, at school, or in public spaces—preventive habits and behaviors suited to their age and capabilities.
Children entering the school environment for the first time—especially those in preparatory classes and early primary grades—require special care and attention. This is due to their limited perception of traffic-related risks, their developing ability to judge vehicle speeds and distances, and their limited capacity to anticipate driver behavior. In this context, parental accompaniment—especially during the first few days of the school year—plays a crucial role in helping children gradually gain independence and develop the proper behaviors and safety habits needed to handle potentially hazardous situations.
Accordingly, the General Directorate of Civil Protection urges parents to:
• Accompany their children during the first days of school and teach them to choose the safest route between home and the educational institution;
• Raise their awareness of major traffic-related risks, particularly near schools, garage exits, construction sites, and areas with limited visibility;
• Teach them not to cross the road until they are certain that vehicles have come to a complete stop, even when using pedestrian crossings;
• Remind them to look left, then right, and then left again before crossing, while remaining alert until they reach the opposite sidewalk;
• Encourage them to cross calmly—without running or playing in the street—and to obey traffic signals and the instructions of traffic controllers;
• Teach them to use sidewalks and pedestrian crossings; if these are unavailable, they should choose an open, clearly visible location that allows drivers to see them in time;
• Educate them on the need to distinguish between play areas and zones where vehicles travel, reminding them that the road and its immediate surroundings are not places for play;
• Grant them independence gradually, in line with their age and ability to recognize and assess risks, and avoid exposing them prematurely to routes or journeys they are not yet capable of navigating alone.
