Sunday February 26, 2012

When kids can show the way

THE STAR SAYS...

IN the natural flow of things, it is the children who learn from adults. And they learn most from what we do, rather than what we say.

Parents know that they are always being closely watched by their children to see if their deeds match their words.

But they often fail miserably in setting good examples.

It is pointless, for example, for a father to tell a child that he should mind his manners when, in the very next minute, he is hurling expletives at the poor shop assistant at the check-out counter.

And it is equally unwise for the mother to tell the daughter that she should not break traffic rules, and then drive past the next red light, and, to make matters worse, offer a bribe to the traffic policeman down the road.

One of the most vibrant teaching environments to impart good values to the young ones, other than the home, must surely be in the car.

When parents do not do their part, we can see how children misbehave in the car when they are not properly belted up. We see rubbish being thrown out of the car. The free movement of children in the confines of such limited space creates dangerous situations that may even be fatal.

It is clear that behaving improperly on the road is a trait that is being passed on from one generation to the next.

It is time to turn things around.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, when launching the Toyota Traffic Tots campaign to create awareness on road safety issues for pre-school children on Thursday, is absolutely correct to say that even the very young can become agents of change and advise their parents on driving safely.

“With the power children wield at home now, they surely can persuade their parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties to drive safely and responsibly as well as create a new culture among their parents,” he said.

We are also familiar with the Shell Traffic Games, which have been a major educational tool in road safety awareness for the young in Malaysia over the past five decades.

And there is also a Road Safety Education module which has been taught to Year One pupils since 2008 that will be extended to the secondary school level soon.

For children in this age range, it may still be some time off before they can either ride a motorcycle or drive a car but teaching them in these formative years is a step in the right direction.

But for such programmes to really work, the adults must do their part to reinforce what these children learn at school.

Otherwise, all these noble efforts will go to waste when the adults are transformed from mild-mannered parents to road monsters once they get behind the wheel.

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