#2 – Integrate traffic safety and mobility education in the curricula for schools, including a minimum amount of teaching hours
Traffic safety and mobility education should be integrated in the curricula for schools at all levels as well as kindergartens. This should be reflected in the documentation on the curricula at both national and school level.
In order to achieve the educational goals set out in the curricula, as a minimum, a specific number of teaching hours should be dedicated to traffic safety and mobility education every year.
Lessons on traffic safety and sustainable mobility can either be integrated into other subjects (see also Principle #14) or can be taught as a separate and dedicated subject.
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Finland – Traffic Safety Education in the Curriculum for Basic Education
Traffic safety education is included in the core curriculum for basic education in Finland, which is a document schools must follow. Introduced in 2014, the core curriculum includes traffic safety education in various subjects as well as in one of the transversal competences called ‘taking care of oneself and managing daily life’.
In grades 1 – 2 (7 -8 year olds) attention is paid to independent and safe mobility in the child’s surroundings, the use of protective and safety equipment, and to improving skills and knowledge as pedestrians and cyclists.
In grades 3 – 6 (9 – 12 year olds) the focus is on independent mobility in a wider area and in public transport. Particular attention is paid to skills in safe cycling and ensuring safety of the child and others on the road. The pupils are guided in using appropriate safety and protective equipment and taught to recognise key symbols related to safety.
In
grades 7 – 9 (13 – 15 year olds) the pupils are also guided to act sustainably
and responsibly in various situations in traffic (particularly when riding a
bicycle or a moped), to use protective and safety equipment, and not to drive
under the influence of intoxicants.
More Information
Opetushallitus (2014), Perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet 2014.
Utbildningsstyrelsen (2014), Grunderna för läroplanen för den grundläggande utbildningen 2014.
Flanders – Traffic Safety Introduced in the Curriculum for Secondary Education
In 2019, traffic safety was added to the regional curriculum for secondary education in Flanders. The educational goal set in the curriculum requires pupils to know the traffic rules and risk factors for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as strategies to safely move around in traffic.
The goal is for pupils to behave based on a personal framework in which values, notions, behaviour, experiences and information are internalised, although attention still needs to be paid to finding a balance between conflicting aspects. Traffic safety was already part of the curriculum for pre-primary and primary education in Flanders.
More Information
Traffic safety is included as goal 1.13 in the list of competencies regarding physical, mental, and emotional awareness/health for secondary education. All educational goals in Flanders can be found on this website.
Norway – Road Safety in the Curriculum for Kindergartens
Since 2017, the Norwegian national curriculum states that through work with the local community and society, kindergartens should help ensure that children “explore different landscapes and become familiar with institutions and places in the local community and learn to safely orient themselves and get around.” Life skills and health are core values addressed in kindergarten.
More Information
Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (2017), Framework Plan for Kindergartens, p.56
Greece – Traffic Safety during the Thematic Week at Secondary Schools
In Greece, a ‘thematic week’ has been introduced for the first three grades of secondary school, during which the teacher can choose out of four subjects related to health, including traffic safety. For the last three grades in Greece’s secondary schools, traffic education activities are also a possibility during a dedicated teaching day in the last four months of the school year.
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Portugal – Road Safety as part of the Citizenship and Development Curriculum
Road safety education at Portuguese schools is a complementary part of the curriculum on citizenship education, and is therefore not a separate subject. The road safety education competency framework, a guidance tool identifying the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that individuals must adopt to be safe on the road, consists of objectives separated by levels of education. The objectives, which are sub-divided into (i) knowledge and skills and (ii) behaviours and attitudes, aim to ensure that students know and adopt appropriate behaviour as pedestrians, passengers and drivers by the end of secondary school.
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Germany – Framework Recommendations for Harmonisation across Federal States
The Council of Education Ministers of the Federal States developed framework recommendations for traffic safety education at primary schools. In Germany, education is the responsibility of the Federal States. To achieve a harmonised standard and content of traffic safety education across Germany, the Ministers of Education agreed on a minimum set of framework conditions that could be applied by the Länder. The implementation of traffic safety education differs therefore between the Federal States.
More Information
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