XN000022-1976-10-23 — Page 6

5

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1976

ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN AT LANTAU

******

MORE THAN 600 CHILDREN WHO LIVE ON THE OUTLYING ISLANDS WERE TODAY GIVEN SOME GOOD ADVICE ON A PROBLEM THEY RARELY ENCOUNTER ROAD SAFETY,

—

THE YOUNGSTERS ATTENDED THE OPENING OF A ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN AT MUI WO, LANTAU, AIMED AT EDUCATING PEOPLE LIVING ON THE MAINLY TRAFFIC-FREE ISLANDS ABOUT THE HAZARDS THEY FACE WHEN THEY VISIT HONG KONG AND KOWLOON.

LANTAU WAS CHOSEN AS THE SPOT FOR THE CAMPAIGN AS IT IS THE ONLY OUTLYING ISLAND WITH MOTOR CARS AND THE ONLY ONE WITH A ROAD SAFETY PROBLEM.

+

THE ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. DAVID TSUI, OPENING THE CAMPAIGN, TOLD THE CHILDREN THAT IN SOME WAYS THEY WERE LUCKIER THAN THEIR URBAN COUNTERPARTS, MANY OF WHOM LIVED IN DENSELY POPULATED AREAS WHERE ROAD SAFETY WAS A REAL PROBLEM.

+EVEN THE RESIDENTS OF LANTAU, WHERE THERE IS VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH ROAD SAFETY, BUT THEY HAVE PROBLEMS NEVERTHELESS, + HE SAID. +LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 25 ROAD ACCIDENTS ON LANTAU, RESULTING IN ONE FATALITY, FIVE SERIOUS INJURIES AND 11 MINOR INJURIES.

+CARELESSNESS WAS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF THESE ACCIDENTS. OUR EXPERIENCE ON LANTAU IS THAT PEOPLE DO NOT SHOW ENOUGH CARE AND CONCERN WHEN THEY COME TO THE ISLAND AND HIRE BICYCLES.

+SIMILARLY, VISITORS WHO GO ABOUT THE ISLAND ON FOOT SEEM TO FORGET ALL ABOUT THE CARS AND TEND TO WALK ON THE ROADS RATHER THAN ON THE FOOTPATHS.+

MR. TSUI TOLD THE CHILDREN, WHO CAME FROM LAMMA ISLAND, PENG CHAU, CHEUNG CHAU AS WELL AS VARIOUS PARTS OF LANTAU, THAT IT WAS VITAL FOR THEM TO LEARN THE LESSONS OF ROAD SAFETY.

+WHEN YOU GROW UP AND LEAVE SCHOOL, MANY OF YOU WILL GO TO WORK OR LIVE IN HONG KONG AND KOWLOON WHERE HEAVY TRAFFIC IS AS COMMON AS THE QUIET COUNTRY ROADS WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN USED TO ON THE ISLANDS, HE ADDED.

+ I WOULD ALSO APPEAL TO VISITORS TO THE ISLANDS WHO MAY BE RIDING BICYCLES OR USING THE ROADS AS PEDESTRIANS TO EXERCISE THE SAME CARE AND DISPLAY THE SAME CONCERN FOR OTHERS AS THEY WOULD IN HONG KONG OR KOWLOON.+

MR. TSUI'S SPEECH LAUNCHED AN AFTERNOON OF EDUCATIONAL AND FESTIVE ACTIVITIES AT MUI WO.

OFFICERS FROM THE TRAFFIC POLICE, AUXILIARY MEDICAL SERVICES AND THE ROAD SAFETY ASSOCIATION GAVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND TALKS ON ROAD SAFETY, WHILE THE YOUNGSTERS ALSO TOOK PART IN AN ESSAY COMPETITION, SAW A VARIETY SHOW AND A LION DANCE.

16 ...