Algeria calls for improved road safety following student fatalities

A rise in traffic accidents involving schoolchildren in Algeria has prompted calls for urgent reforms to road safety and prevention measures. Recent tragedies include the death of a nine-year-old student struck by a truck in the Eucalyptus commune of Algiers, and a young girl hit by a car in the Bir El Arch commune of Setif.

Nabila Ferhat, president of the National Association of Professional Driving Instructors, is advocating for enhanced driver training, more frequent vehicle inspections—specifically for school buses to prevent overloading—and strengthened road safety education. Ferhat emphasizes that school bus operation should not be treated as an ordinary activity and that prevention must take precedence over reactive measures following accidents.