Like every year, the initiator of "Protect Me", one of the oldest social campaigns organized in the country, ensures all schoolchildren of the country against road accidents for the amount of EUR 5,000.
In total, more than 322,000 students will be covered this year.
The Protect Me initiative on child safety on the roads is being organized every September by Vilnius City Municipality, the largest insurance company in Lithuania, Lietuvos dramas, and its partners - Vilnius County Police and other municipalities in the country.
"The Protect Me campaign takes care of children returning to the streets and roads every year after the summer holidays. With this initiative, we encourage all adults to take responsibility for small road users," says Kęstutis Šerpytis, CEO of Lietuvos Draudimas.
"Together with our partners, we look for solutions every year to help raise awareness of child safety on the road. In recent years, we have included seniors on duty at school crossings to help children cross the streets safely. We share reflectors and reflective vests for children and emphasize safe cycling. These initiatives and actions bring results, but we not only have to teach children in theory, but also to implement practical knowledge on how to be safe on the road," says Edita Tamošiūnaitė, Vice-Mayor of the capital.
The situation is improving
According to the data of the Lithuanian Road Police Service, the number of killed children has quadrupled in 20 years, and twice as many were injured.
In 2000 alone, the number of injured children traveling on foot reached 634, falling to 202 in 2018. The Protect Me campaign, which is being organized for the 20th time this year, is also contributing to the improving numbers.
Also, the promoters have been donating reflective vests to small children in smaller towns and districts for the third year running. During this time, 33 district primaries have been secured with 34,000 vests distributed.
This year, in partnership with twelve city municipalities, the insurance company will be giving light reflective vests with reflective tapes to 13,000 elementary school students.
Over nineteen years of the Protect Me campaign, a total of 93 schoolchildren who were injured on streets or roads across the country were reported to the company for more than € 40,000 in damages.
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