April 4th is 'Child Monitoring Day': Special Ad for '7-year-old Traffic Safety Project' Released to Protect the 'Devil's 7-year-olds' from Surging Traffic Risks

Kokumin Kyosai coop (National Federation of Workers and Consumers Insurance Cooperatives, Representative Director and Chairman: Akiichi Uchikoshi) will publish a special advertisement coordinating a 3-column space on the front page and a 15-column space on the back page in the Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun (Asahi Student Newspaper Inc., President: Masanobu Yasuda) in conjunction with 'Child Monitoring Day' on April 4th.

In this special advertisement, we will introduce the '7-year-old Traffic Safety Project' undertaken by our association and roll out a social awareness campaign aimed at preventing traffic accidents among first-grade elementary school students. As a new attempt to convey a story across newspaper pages, we expressed the anxiety of a child walking the school route alone for the first time, and the presence of adults watching over them in the community.

Starting from 'Child Monitoring Day' on April 4th, we will disseminate the importance of traffic rules and monitoring activities, raising social momentum to protect children from traffic accidents.

## Traffic Accident Risks for New First Graders
Children around the age of 7 who are entering elementary school have a wider range of activities, but they are also considered to be at an age with a high risk of being involved in traffic accidents.
The reasons pointed out include 'their viewpoint is lower than adults, making it harder to notice cars,' 'their ability to predict danger is not yet fully developed,' and 'opportunities to act solely as children suddenly increase.'
Furthermore, it is said that many traffic accidents occur on familiar roads within 500m of home, making accident prevention in everyday places such as school routes and residential roads crucial.
Therefore, in addition to traffic safety education for the children themselves, initiatives for the entire local community to watch over children are required.

## April 4th is 'Child Monitoring Day'
Kokumin Kyosai coop promotes April 4th, which falls just before the start of the spring school term, as 'Child Monitoring Day.'
April 4th is timed to overlap with the period just before the elementary school enrollment season and the spring traffic safety campaign, positioning it as a day to trigger society as a whole to think about children's traffic safety.
Using this day as an opportunity, we aim to spread understanding of the 'monitoring activities' being conducted in local communities and to establish a culture where the whole society watches over children.