#9 – Ensure that traffic safety and mobility education is about knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivations as well as training in traffic

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Traffic safety and mobility education should not only be about gaining knowledge and understanding of traffic rules, but also about developing and improving skills as well as strengthening and changing attitudes and motivations.

Lessons should furthermore teach pupils about hazard perception and risk factors, anticipating the actions of other road users, and saying ‘no’ to others’ risk behaviour. They should also teach the pupils to reflect on their own and others’ attitudes, motivations and behaviours.

Lessons should not only take place in the class room, but also include training and experience in practice – in both protected and real-world environments, connected to real life problems in their environment and adapted to the role they have in the traffic system.

The LEARN! definition for traffic safety and mobility education includes all the mentioned elements. Click here for a more in-depth explanation.

BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES

Europe – Cycling Tests

In many European countries children participate in cycling tests. These tests usually combine theory and practice: they do not only focus on ensuring that the pupils have sufficient knowledge, but also sufficient skills and the right behaviour to safely ride their bikes. See Principle #13 for more information on these cycling tests.

Norway – An Elective Course at Secondary Schools

The elective subjects in Norway are practical subjects, contributing to increased motivation and more varied training for the pupils. An elective course in traffic knowledge can be chosen by pupils aged 14-16 years. The course helps pupils move safely in traffic by providing knowledge, skills and attitudes, and aims to motivate the pupils to reflect and think critically.

About 25% of schools offer this course and an evaluation of the course done by the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research showed good results.

More Information

Johansson & Bjornskay (2018), TØI Report 1660/201. Evaluation of the elective subject traffic.

Greece – “Do It Right” in Secondary Education

The “Do It Right” programme for adolescents focuses not only on developing skills, but also promotes ‘safety minded’ behaviour by changing false beliefs and unhealthy attitudes. The programme, implemented in Greece by RSI Panos Mylonas, focuses on key risk factors on the road: drink driving, non-seatbelt use, reaction time and stopping distances, and psychological factors affecting driving.

It includes both theoretical and interactive learning approaches, such as role playing, where students learn how to say ‘no’ to unsafe behaviour and peer pressure. Moreover, it includes training in a safe environment using advanced simulator equipment (roll-over car, impact simulator, alcohol goggles, distraction game activity, etc).

More Information

RSI Panos Mylonas, Do It Right.

Germany – Study on Competence Areas for Successful Traffic Participation

Knowledge of the most important competences for traffic participation and their development is a prerequisite for the development of differentiated school and pre-school transport education. The German Association of Insurers has published a comprehensive study related to the competence areas related to successful traffic participation. Mobility skills are not limited to cognitive components but also include perceptive, motor, social-emotional, motivational and executive functions.

More Information

Unfallforschung der Versicherer (UDV), Ganzheitliche Verkehrserziehung für Kinder und Jugendliche.

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