Total SA, the French oil and gas giant, has trained more than 6,000 children across China, through a national road safety awareness program it launched in 2010.

Bertrand de La Noue, general representative of Total in China, said the campaign was first sparked after officials learned just how many young people lose their lives on the roads.

Since 2001, annual road deaths in China have hovered around 100,000, meaning an average of 270 people are killed every day. Officials say that the number is around 10 times higher than the United States or Europe. Of that total, 18,000 children were being killed annually, or 50 a day.

This year, in cooperation with regional education bureaus, the Total program is being expanded by delivering safety training books to children who cannot attend the live events held in schools.

The general representative said that in recent years, along with the improvement in Chinese living standards, children and their families face more hazards in daily life.

"This has been a big effort, to make more children understand traffic rules. It has been especially important to reach schools in remote areas, where there is probably less understanding or education of the risks that exist every day on our roads," said De La Noue.

He said that it is the goal of Total's employees to be involved in promoting road safety among children.

"And it is also important that children take care, not just on the road, but also in their daily lives, at home, at school and when they are playing with friends."

Man Yi is deputy director of moral education at Ganluyuan Elementary School in Beijing, where children have already been trained by Total. "It is critical to protect our children by making them aware of the dangers outside our gates," said Man. "Through road safety lectures, safety knowledge games and safety puzzle games, children have been able to learn in a fun way and develop the skills they need to protect themselves and their families."

Cai Yuxin is an eight-year-old student at Ganluyuan who has just completed her training. "I learned a lot of new skills, such as how to cross the road safely and recognize different traffic signs," she said.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn