Understand and recognize the importance of scholar patrol

Do you remember leaving primary school under the watchful eyes of scholar patrol? Scholar patrol is often neglected at schools and it is important that we understand and recognize the importance of scholar patrol for road safety!

Scholar patrol or school patrol goes back as far as 1920 when the Safety Patrol Program was started by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Boys, when they reached the sixth grade, would be screened for the proper character traits and then trained in safety and put to use. In South Africa this becomes even more important in light of the fact that approximately 40% of road fatalities are pedestrian fatalities.

The Arrive Alive Road Safety Website has compiled a rather comprehensive section on Scholar Patrol. Amongst the introductory comments to this section we find the reasons for considering scholar patrol as well as the benefits thereof:

Why do we need scholar patrol?

• Each year, children travel to and from school almost 200 times.
• Dangerous traffic congestion occurs around schools with so many parents dropping their children off in the morning and picking them up after school.
• Traffic Authorities, school teachers and principals recognize that this congestion creates the most dangerous location on a child’s journey to and from school.
• Scholar Patrol performs a very important and responsible public service by controlling traffic and by safeguarding scholar pedestrians Student patrollers guide fellow students and prevent them from entering traffic when it is unsafe.

Benefits of Scholar Patrol / School Patrol

• The Scholar Patrol program benefits the school, the community and the student safety patrollers.
• The program provides quality training and recognition for student safety patroller’s efforts.
• Apart from providing safer access to schools at nearby crossings, this program inspires patrollers to develop positive relationships with peers and authority figures and develop leadership skills, teamwork, maturity and a sense of responsibility.
• The Scholar Patrol helps foster closer ties with the community and increases the school’s visibility in the community.
• Student patrollers are visible ambassadors for their school and assist both parents and their children at school crossings.

The awareness of road safety brought about by the exposure to scholar patrol at an early age can only benefit our older road users. This might teach adults not to cross the road without caution, and might teach motorists to be careful near schools, playgrounds and bus stops!