A speeding driver knocked over and killed a student just as he was leaving through the school’s main gate at 12 noon at Al-Thagr High School in Jeddah recently.

The incident shocked the school community. Parents have called on the authorities to provide better protection for their children when classes are over for the day, according to a report publised in a local newspaper recently.

They say schools must ensure safe places for students to wait for their lifts home. The current situation in Al-Thagr neighborhood, where there are many schools, is that students are either forced to wait on the side of the roads, or at local gas stations.

There are many schools in Jeddah that have no safety measures in place for students when classes end, according to the report.

The congestion outside schools is at noon, one of the busiest times on the nation’s roads.

Hassan Al-Hamid, a parent, said the lives of children are in danger. “We must attend to this problem to avoid losing more precious lives.

Schools must play a guiding role in this process by advising students to be aware of speeding drivers, and avoid gas stations.”

Abdulaziz Al-Qahtani, a citizen, accused the education and municipal ministries of failing to protect students outside schools.

He said that administrators should perhaps set up safe areas outside schools where students can wait for their transport.

Ali Al-Ghamdi, another citizen, said schools must also ensure that students leave at specified times, to prevent congestion on the streets.