Berezka hosts contest for young traffic policemen

Between May 13 and 15 the Berezka recreation complex hosted the final round of a regional children’s contest and festival for young traffic policemen ‘Safe Wheel 2015’ – an annual event organized by the regional State Traffic Inspectorate in cooperation with the Education and Science Ministry of the Samara Region and sponsored by Gazprom Transgaz Samara.

Thirty-seven four-person teams from municipal districts of Samara, Samara Region and Togliatti took part in the competition that lasted for several days. Children aged 10 to 12 completed challenges in health and safety basics and traffic regulations theory, as well as carried out drills, riding a bike in a motor camp and doing fancy riding figures.

“I am very pleased with the fact that for the fifth year in a row the final round of the ‘Safe Wheel’ contest takes place in Berezka, our recreation complex,” remarked Vladimir Subbotin, Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Samara, at the ceremonial opening of the festival. “It’s a very important social project for us, because it aims to reduce the injury rate and the number of traffic accidents involving children. It is essential to raise the awareness of safe road conduct among children when they are still very young. The work pursuing that target will be broadened in scale this year, with a pilot project of Gazprom Transgaz Samara to be launched, within the framework of which a motor vehicle playground track will be constructed in a Kinel daycare center.”

“The ‘Safe Wheel’ educational project has had a long run, it has been around for 23 years now, and millions of children across Russia have taken part in it during that time. The Samara Region is actively involved in the project,” said Police Colonel Igor Antonov, Head of the Samara Region Directorate for the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, Russia’s Interior Ministry.

The Togliatti team came out the winner in the regional round of the ‘Safe Wheel’ and its members will be representing the Samara Region in the national round of the competition, which will take place in the Krasnodar Territory.