Child hit by minibus on pedestrian crossing right in front of his school

Two minors have been traumatized in road accidents in the capital city on Monday, one of them being hit by a minibus right on a pedestrian crossing. Ion Roscovanu, the inspector for the road circulation safety, administrative supervision and PR of the Chisinau Traffic Police told Info-Prim Neo that at 8:00, at the cross-road between Mihail Kogalniceanu and Nicolae Iorga streets, on the pedestrian crossing, a Mercedes minibus on the 124 route, hit a pupil from the 8th grade of the “Prometeu” lyceum. The girl suffered a cerebral concussion and was taken to the “Valentin Ignatenco” hospital. At 23:00, a Volkswagen-Golf hit a pupil from the 7th grade of the School no. 26 who suffered a broken mandible and multiple wounds. The accident took place on the Alecu Russo Street. The Traffic Police announced that during the first few weeks of the school year, they are unfolding a special operation to ensure the safety of children in traffic, posting in this respect an increased number of traffic agents in the surroundings of educational institutions. A number of parents and pupils claim, however, that this action is of a formal character, and that the efficiency of these agents is reduced with them not reacting to the infringement of the traffic rules on the grounds that “this is how our society is educated”. Another police initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is to introduce, as of September 1, a new mandatory course for pupils in the 1st to 9th grades called “the safety of road circulation”. Additional actions to ensure the discipline of drivers were not announced by the police. According to the site of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of accidents that involves minors increased this year by 14 percent compared to last year. The number of deceased children as a result of traffic accidents has also increased.