Some one hundred volunteers were on the streets of Yaounde on Wednesday, February 6.

Since the launching of the 2013 National Youth week activities in Babessi and in the North West Region last week and Lagdo in the North Region, youth week events have intensified in the country.

In Yaounde, some one hundred youth volunteers were out on the streets of the city to sensitise the public on the need to respect road safety rules and regulations. The exercise is within the framework of the youth week activities under the auspices of the Department of Social Integration and Volunteerism in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education.

The youths sensitised drivers on road safety measures, such as the need to put on seat belts while driving, wrong parking and assist people while crossing the road, among others.

One of the students, Francis Mfeugue Ntsanga Sorel, 17, a lower sixth student at “Institute Bilingue d’Etoudi” said the campaign is intended to help reduce the rate of road accidents on the roads. “The training will enable us grow up with that notion and will also help us in future,” he said. He added that the problem faced was that of misunderstanding. Some drivers, they said, complained that they don’t have seat belts and some refuse to put them on because they say they are dirty.

The Sub Director of Volunteerism in the ministry of Youth affairs and Civic Education, Marie Annick Eya said the volunteers were trained in the ministry the day before by a team of police, gendarmes and officials of the Ministry of Transport. She said the youths were placed on all major roundabouts and zebra crossings in all the seven subdivisions in Yaounde. She explained that the volunteer work will continue even after the youth week as the ministry will continue to train more volunteers. She said the target is to get at least 1000 people sensitised on road safety rules and regulations.