Mobile video game to teach children road safety launched
Zizi the Zebra, a mobile app developed by Vivo Energy Uganda to teach children about road safety, was launched on Friday at the fuel company’s head office in Kampala.
At the launch of the app, 28 primary schools took part in a road safety and environment quiz that gave them a chance to win various prizes including, among others, android mobile phones and tablets, schools bags, and solar powered reading lamps. The kids also tried the app; competing against each other to receive prizes.
Children were encouraged to request their parents to allow them download the app, Zizi the Zebra, onto their smart phones and tablets so that they could play the game, and learn about road safety.
Speaking at the launch of the app, Vivo Energy Managing Director Mr Hans Paulsen said, “We have focused our investment in children as they are the future of this country. They are at an impressionable age and can easily form a new belief system that would influence their behaviour. They learn new ideas quickly and are eager to share them with their peers and parents. This generation is also more technically savvy and spend a lot of their free time exploring mobile gadgets for games. The app we have developed provides road safety education for children in a fun and innovative way. We believe this is a good space to teach them to be responsible road users and future drivers.”
Allan Rogers Kibaya, Health and Safety Manager added: “Today many Ugandans are vulnerable to road accidents with over 3,000 lost every year, including over 600 children. If this app helps to save just one life then it’s a worthwhile investment.”
The event was officiated by Kampala Metropolitan Traffic Commander Mr Norman Musinga. In his remarks, he said, “I am really impressed by this innovation. It is encouraging to see the efforts Vivo Energy has put in place to educate young people about road safety. It is great to see what children will learn from this interesting app about how to safely walk on the road, how to use a bodaboda and what to expect from a driver.”
Vivo Energy’s road safety education programmes cover not only children, but also training programmes for Bodaboda riders and bus drivers.
Zizi the Zebra can be downloaded for free using any android phone or tablet by visiting Google play store and installing “Zizi the Zebra”.
