Safety vests save lives

In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on better visibility by wearing reflective safety vests or throws.

Corresponding safety vests get the schools free of charge for each student via the ADAC. The foundation also took part in the year so that safety vests in a bright blue with the emblem of FC Schaller 04 were distributed to the schools for a complete urban vintage.

In November, the parties to the regulatory partnership carried out counts of reflective clothing (safety vests, warning triangles, covers for the school bag and so on) at all elementary schools in Gelsenkirchen. The result of this action was for the regulatory partners for the most part very disappointing: out of a total of more than 10,000 elementary school students, only 1412 (the previous year 1479) carried vest. Of these, less than 5 percent of students in one-third of elementary schools have worn reflective clothing. The counting takes place since 2012 so that one can draw comparisons to the previous year’s again and again.

Kirsten Jens, second chairman of the Gelsenkirchen Road Safety Board, makes it clear: “The safety vests are available and will be replaced regularly if they have been around for several years, the biggest problem being parents sending their children to school without this safety.”

Certainly one of the school’s tasks is to alert students to road hazards and to show them behaviors. However, this does not replace the responsibility of the parents.

For the visibility of our children when leaving the apartment, especially in the dark, only the parents are responsible. So once again an appeal to all parents and guardians: Give your children timely help for safe behavior in traffic! Make them visible in the dark at this time of the year so that other road users can recognize them in time!

In the middle of December, the Verkehrswacht Gelsenkirchen and the foundation made a handover appointment in the daycare center on behalf of all other kindergartens. In total, around 2,300 safety vests with reflective materials were distributed.

Especially “Schaller helps” is very committed to the safety of the kids.