THE ‘SAFE DRIVER PROJECT’ IN NOVI SAD

Mayor of the City of Novi Sad Mr. Miloš Vučević and the Minister of engineering, traffic and infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović participated today in the activities of the ‘Safe Driver Project’, organized by the City Administration for Roads and Traffic. The aim of the event is to increase the safety in traffic of all its participants throughout the territory of the City of Novi Sad. The project is supported by the State Agency for Traffic Safety, Ministry of Engineering, Traffic and Infrastructure, Republic of Serbia MOI, Council for Coordination of Traffic Safety Affairs on City Roads, as well as by the City Administration for Roads and Traffic. The Project was realized by the State Agency for Traffic Safety, Center for drivers education, Driving School ‘Aluno’ from Novi Sad, Traffic Safety Promotion Center, Sports auto-moto karting club ‘021’, Workers Health Protection Institute of Novi Sad, as well as the Humanitarian-Ecological Organization ‘With a Cork to a Smile’.
Mayor and the Minister attended the reception of primary school 1st grade pupils at the ‘Prva Vojvođanska Brigada’ Primary School, where pupils performed their play, and were also given textbooks on proper conduct in everyday traffic situations. The Mayor and the Minister wished all the students a successful beginning of the academic year, and pointed out the immense importance of increased attention of children and parents on the way to school and back home.
- We wish all of you a happy beginning of this school year. The Agency has been working for the last six month on joint education with local self-governments and their goal is to reach out to the youngest drivers and youngest traffic participants, all this through education that at the same time shows creativity as well.  Our obligation is to do all we can to provide them safety, as well as to teach them what is good for them. Nevertheless, the most important factor are parents, who should take good care of their children, since it is a mutual task for all of us, and not for some institution or for teachers. – said the Minister Mihajlović.
Mayor Vučеvić pointed out that the visit to the first-grade pupils is arranged because of the start of the new academic year, and that apart from the best wishes for the youngest ones, at the same time we send out an important message of responsibility and awareness of all traffic participants.
- Responsibility is on the parents, but also on the institutions of the system which must be involved in raising awareness about traffic and about traffic conduct. Apart from those who are authorized to define and control the rules of safety, every parent must be a partner in the process. We do not wish to hear bad news, what we wish for are safe children in the streets. – said Mayor Vučеvić.
Following the visit, Mayor Vučеvić and the Minister Mihajlović also toured the simulator-equipped traffic range that will be installed during the whole day at the main City square. Until 8 PM today, the citizens will be able to try out numerous simulators such as ‘the ramp’, ‘the skew’, as well as ‘the drunken glasses’, all of which simulate numerous unforeseeable and dangerous traffic situations. Activities within the project are, among others, use of the seatbelt, vehicle rollover, drive in real conditions, driving-under-influence simulation conditions, pedestrian traffic light for education of the preschool and school children, as well as education of parents on the correct use of children car seats.
Mayor Vučеvić and the Minister Mihajlović also attended a seminar at the City Assembly held on the topic of local-self-governments in the South Bačka District and traffic safety. Novi Sad is the first city in Serbia in which this seminar is taking place, and it will be held several times during the year, so that the stakeholders could monitor and supervise the results of their planned activities in the field of traffic safety.
In Novi Sad, August 31st 2015