LEARN! Manual Example #19
This example contains an overview of different forms of cooperation with different actors across Europe. It includes examples of cooperation with parents, teachers, the police, different governmental levels, and other organisations.
Related Step
Cooperation with Other Actors
Age Group
n/a
Example 19.1: Parents & other organisations
Veilig Verkeer Nederland developed a lesson for 10 to 12 year old children on the blind spots of trucks. The lesson is a good example of cooperation with other organisations, as it was developed and implemented in cooperation with TLN, the Dutch association for the transport and logistics sectors. During the lesson, a truck visits the school, allowing the children not only to learn about blind spots, but also experience them from both outside and inside the truck.
The augmented reality game on blinds spots. Source: Veilig Verkeer Nederland
The lesson also involves an element that continues the education on blind spots at home. An augmented reality game is developed for smartphones, in which children need to recover items while staying out of trucks’ blind spots. As an alternative to the augmented reality game, a placemat is also available, which can be used by parents to talk about the blind spots of trucks, for example during dinner.
More Information
Veilig Verkeer Nederland. Verkeersles: dode hoek. (Website)
Veilig Verkeer Nederland. Verkeersles: dode hoek. (Placemat)
Example 19.2: Teacher workshops and “Traffic at School” conference
The Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge (VSV) provides workshops in which they allow teachers to familiarise themselves with the material they offer. VSV also organises a yearly “Traffic at School” conference for teachers, head teachers and volunteers involved in traffic education at school level.
The website for VSV’s “Traffic at School conference” for teachers, where participants can register for the upcoming edition. The “herbeleef” page contains a link to a playlist where all presentations of last year’s edition can be viewed.
The conference focuses on educational aspects, practical guidelines, teaching methods, materials and projects for different age groups, from pre-school children to secondary school youngsters. Schools can submit a project to compete for the “Traffic at School” award.
A series of online videos summarises the main points of interest and best practices discussed at the conference, serving as an inspiration and practical aid for teachers and volunteers.
More Information
VSV “Traffic at School” conference website.
Playlist of videos of the 2022 edition of the “Traffic at School” conference.
Example 19.3: Teachers
The Danish Road Safety Council distributes a calendar to schools, which shows teachers what material to use at a given time of the year (January to December).
The Danish Road Safety Council’s calendar for the school year.
Similarly, the Finnish Road Safety Council (Liikenneturva) developed an “annual clock” as a planning aid for schools, teachers and pupils to plan traffic safety education, while keeping local conditions in mind. The annual clock is based on the idea that there are four hours of traffic safety education in every grade of basic education, with attention paid to seasons and current issues. The planning tool thereby makes traffic safety education long-term and systematic.
More Information
Danish Road Safety Council’s calendar for schools.
Liikennaturva. Liikennekasvatuksen vuosikello.
Example 19.4: Police and different government levels
A national ‘campaign calendar’ exists in the Netherlands and Denmark, in which awareness raising campaigns are coupled with enforcement activities. Regional and local governmental authorities support the national calendar by implementing it in their area, taking into account regional and local characteristics.
For example, when an awareness raising campaign on the importance of bicycle lighting starts, additional enforcement activities are conducted by the police, notably around the schools, while different levels of government may also provide campaign material to the schools. Educational activities that align with the awareness raising campaigns can therefore reinforce the message.
The calendar above shows the campaigns at national level in the Netherlands in the blue bars. Corresponding regional campaign activities in the Dutch province of Limburg are shown in the red bars, and if necessary adjusted to the local context, e.g. additional campaigns focusing on drink driving (BOB) during a regional festive season (Carnaval). The blue badges represent specific police enforcement focused on those topics accompanying the campaigns. Source: Regionaal Orgaan Verkeersveiligheid Limburg
Example 19.5: Different Government Levels
In order to provide all secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) with ready-to-use activities on traffic safety and mobility education, the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge (VSV) started its Traffic Weeks project in 2017. Traffic Weeks was an initiative that is supported by the Flemish government (regional level), which in turn was promoted by VSV at the local level aimed at municipalities and schools.
The project was a travelling roadshow that consists of experience-oriented workshops on a variety of road safety topics for all pupils according to the year they are in. The workshops were combined in one-week packages – hence the name Traffic Weeks – and can be booked by one school or a group of schools.
The Traffic Weeks workshops were geared to youngsters: for example, for first grade pupils there is particular attention for bicycle safety and risk awareness as vulnerable road users, second grade pupils learn about the risks of distraction in traffic, and for third grade pupils there are training packages on car-related risks such as drink driving, not wearing of seat belts, and speeding.
The Traffic Week in Mechelen (Belgium) was so successful that other Belgium municipalities had started implementing it as well.
All the workshops took place in the school and were given by experienced teachers from VSV. For the schools a Traffic Week followed the plug-and-play principle: all they had to do is to make an online reservation for the week of their choice, provide room to run the workshops, and schedule the pupils according to class and year. This ease of use was one of the key reasons for the great success of the Traffic Week initiative.