How It Began
Most schools in Lebanon do not properly equip their surroundings and campuses with correct safety mechanisms to avoid vehicular-related accidents: entrances and exits are unsafe, there are no crosswalks or pedestrian crossings, the drop down and pick up procedures are risky and unorganized, and there is a lack of appropriate traffic signs and isolated parking spaces.
Between 2013 and 2014, 163 children under age 14, lost their lives in road accidents, both as passengers in vehicles and as pedestrians. In the same period, 660 children were seriously injured. Moreover, in 2017 alone, 83 children under the age of 14 lost their lives in road accidents. We saw the need to provide a safer environment for children on their way to and from school. This includes ensuring a safe walk to and from school, alleviating traffic conflicts, providing a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in road safety, and finally, raising awareness on the vitality of committing to school road safety.
As a result, Live Lebanon and the National Road Safety Council launched the Haki Oussal campaign in 2018, aiming to reduce the number of casualties by providing a safe environment for students within and around schools.
How It Works
Haki Oussal campaign consisted of three aspects:
1. Physical adjustments to the infrastructure around schools by building crosswalks/sidewalks and installing traffic and speed limits signs.
2. Increasing awareness and knowledge among school children, parents, and drivers in the community on safety and changing their behavior through a national campaign.
3. Setting policies, establishing and enforcing speed limits, ticketing drivers and illegally parked vehicles, and managing street vendors.