Seoul Gangseo-gu Produces 'School Commute Safety Map' for Elementary Schools

Seoul Gangseo-gu Creates 'School Commute Safety Maps' for 7 Elementary Schools to Ensure Safe Commuting Environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) has created and distributed a 'School Commute Safety Map' targeting seven local elementary schools to ensure a safe commuting environment.

Last year, there were as many as 567 traffic accidents involving children (under 12 years old) in school zones nationwide, exposing young children, who are short and have limited attention spans, to constant traffic accident risks.

Accordingly, the local community recognized the prevention of children's safety accidents as an important task, and the 'School Commute Safety Map Production' was selected as a public-private governance project in a public forum involving local residents and community activists.

The role of the 'School Commute Safety Map' is to create a safety map that children can easily understand, thereby raising their safety awareness and preventing accidents.

The district conducted field surveys with private committee members targeting schools with frequent complaints about commuting routes, including Deungchon, Singok, Sinwol, Sinjeong, Yeomchang, Hwagok, and Hwail Elementary Schools, collecting safety information around the schools, resulting in the creation of the 'School Commute Safety Map.'

The map uses easily recognizable symbols to indicate locations such as crosswalks, CCTVs, school zones, and child safety houses, making it easy for children to identify.

The school commute safety maps were produced as 7,100 pocket fold maps and 8,000 clear files for convenience and distributed to students at each school.

The back of the pocket fold map includes illustrations and instructions on how to respond to yellow dust and fine dust, fire emergencies, and emergency patient situations, allowing children to read enjoyably and remember easily.

Safety map bulletin boards were also installed in five schools?Deungchon, Singok, Sinwol, Hwagok, and Hwail Elementary Schools?so that students can familiarize themselves with the maps and easily acquire safety information as they come and go.

They will also be used for safety education purposes.

The safety map bulletin boards will be continuously updated using stickers and magnets to reflect changing local conditions such as construction sites, maintaining the school safety network.

Park Kyung-rye, a teacher at Deungchon Elementary School, said, “Children are more interested in the school commute safety map filled with colorful symbols, making traffic safety education more effective,” adding, “We will continue to conduct safety education to minimize children's safety accidents.”

Additionally, the district is doing its best to ensure children's safety by renovating old roads, installing intersection alert devices, and installing crosswalk floor signal lights in school zones, aiming for completion next year.

A district official stated, “While the district can establish safety facilities, fostering safety awareness requires efforts from both the public and private sectors,” and added, “We hope the school commute safety map will serve as an opportunity for children to pay more attention to their own safety, and adults must also strive to create a safer environment for children.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.