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KEY PRINCIPLES

FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY AND
MOBILITY EDUCATION

This publication is part of the LEARN! project. The project is coordinated by ETSC and supported by Fundación
MAPFRE and the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge (VSV). www.trafficsafetyeducation.eu

Expert Panel
ETSC, Fundación MAPFRE and VSV would like to thank the following experts for providing invaluable guidance and
support for this project:

Eva Aigner-Breuss, Anita Eichhorn & Daniela Knowles, KFV (Austrian Road Safety Board), Austria
Martine Aitken, Spain
Alain Areal, Prevenção Rodoviária Portuguesa (PRP), Portugal
Vassiliki Danelli-Mylona, RSI Panos Mylonas, Greece
Lise Heiner Schmidt, Rådet for Sikker Trafik, Denmark
Wilma Slinger, CROW, the Netherlands
Claire Smith & Michael McDonnell, Transport Scotland
Kristin Eli Strømme, Trygg Trafikk, Norway
Satu Tuomikoski, Liikenneturva, Finland
Veronika Valentová, Centrum Dopravního Výzkumu (CDV), Czech Republic

For more information
European Transport Safety Council
20 Avenue des Celtes
B-1040 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 230 4106
[email protected]
www.etsc.eu

©2019 European Transport Safety Council

KEY PRINCIPLES

FOR IMPROVING TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MOBILITY EDUCATION

✓ Everyone should receive high quality traffic safety and mobility education, especially children up to
the age of 18

✓ Integrate traffic safety and mobility education in the curriculum in kindergartens and schools
✓ Set strategical, tactical and operational goals/objectives for tsame
✓ Allocate appropriate resources for tsame
✓ Engage and support school management

✓ Schools should have a traffic safety policy
✓ Appoint a traffic contact teacher for tsame at schools
✓ Tsame should be more than knowledge
✓ Use holistic material as a means to teach tsame
✓ Keep traffic safety education up to date
✓ Use quality standards for traffic education
✓ Undertake ‘formative’, process and outcome evaluations of the interventions
✓ Assess the pupils
✓ Teach future teachers about tsame during their training
✓ Support teachers Involve pupils, students, parents and all relevant stakeholders

I. INTRODUCTION

Education is considered as an essential part of the integrated approach to traffic safety. However, the
previous LEARN! Report on the Status of Traffic Safety and Mobility Education showed that the provision
of such education differs widely across Europe.
This publication sets out the key principles that should be implemented in all European countries, in order
to ensure that [to be added at a later stage].
In line with the LEARN! project, the key principles focus on the provision of education to children and
youngsters up to the age of 18 years old, notably those in primary and secondary schools.1
Before setting out the key principles, this [publication] will first in the second part set out why it is important
for traffic safety and mobility education to be provided.

The key principles recommended in this publication are drawn up by the members
of the LEARN! projects’ Expert Panel following extensive discussions and
deliberations. The Expert Panel consists of Europe’s leading experts on road safety
education.

1 For more information on the LEARN! project’s target group and the definition for traffic safety and mobility
education, please see Part I of: ETSC (2018), The Status of Traffic Safety and Mobility Education in Europe. BITLY

COMMITMENTS

Countries in Europe have on multiple occasions committed to provide traffic safety and mobility
education. These are three examples of such commitments.

Vienna Convention (UNECE)

The overwhelming majority of European countries have signed the UNECE’s Convention on Road
Traffic (also known as the “1968 Vienna” Convention)1 and have thereby committed to provide
road safety education for everyone.

“Article 3(5bis). Contracting Parties will take the necessary measures to ensure that road safety
education be provided on a systematic and continuous basis, particularly in schools at all levels.”

Sustainable Development Goals (UN) Valletta Declaration on Road Safety (EU)

In the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, In May 2017, the EU Member States’
targets are set for improving road safety transport ministers have committed to
(target 3.2), sustainable mobility in urban areas promote, together with the European
(target 11.2), and education (target 4, notably Commission, a Europe-wide road safety
target 4.7 on ensuring that all learners acquire culture based on shared values and improve
the knowledge and skills needed to promote road users' behaviour through continued and
sustainable development). effective education and training targeting
different groups.

).

WHY TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MOB

Over 25,000 people lost their lives on European roads in Children and youngsters have a right to
2018. And while the road safety of children and youngsters grow up safely and traffic safety should
under the age of 18 has improved considerably in almost therefore be an important and natural
all European countries over the past decade, still 1,188 part of their everyday life. After all, every
children and youngsters were killed in the EU in 2016 alone. person, including children and
More than 19,500 have been killed over the last decade youngsters, is a road user every day: as
and many more sustained life-changing injuries.1 a passenger, as a pedestrian, as a cyclist,
or as a user of nascent modes of
In order to achieve Vision Zero – no fatalities or serious transport such as electric scooters.
injuries – on European roads, countries and the EU need to
implement an integrated approach to road safety. If good habits are established when the
Education is considered an essential part of this integrated children are still small, it is likely that
approach, alongside measures focusing on vehicle safety, they will grow up to become responsible
infrastructure safety, enforcement and awareness. road users. Road safety education
therefore helps laying down the
Road safety involves everyone and should therefore be a groundwork for the realisation of Vision
shared responsibility. Adult road users have to be educated Zero. It furthermore prepares them to
to understand the limitations of child behaviour in traffic navigate the streets safely when they are
and the responsibility for keeping children in traffic safe has young adults; the high risk age group
to be shifted towards adults. After all, young children are between 18 and 25 years old.
not little adults, as they have physical and cognitive
limitations that make them more vulnerable in road traffic
than adults.

ILITY EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT!

Adults are furthermore important role models. The choice Education is a life-long learning process.
of the form of transport to the day-care centre and to Each age group may face different
school, work and leisure time activities affects the child’s challenges, yet all could benefit from
traffic education. Schools and kindergartens must also gaining more knowledge, improving their
consider traffic safety as part of their HSE work, their skills and contributing towards a safety-
cooperation with parents, and the implementation of minded culture. Education is therefore a
activities scheduled throughout the year. broad approach that reaches everybody and
should be seen as long term work and
Traffic safety and mobility education is of importance to the investment.
implementation of the Safe System approach, as it helps
develop safe road users. Human behaviour is a key source Road safety also interlinks with many other
of collisions and education can teach and correct safe policies, such as mobility, sustainability, and
behaviour. health. Synergies between the topics allow
for education on one topic to also cover the
The European countries that are regarded as frontrunners other related topics, and cooperation
in the provision of traffic safety and mobility education are between the ministries of transport and
also among the best performing European countries with education (and other relevant ministries) is
regards to road safety. therefore vital.

One contentious point of road safety education is the lack of knowledge about its effectiveness for improving
road safety. Only recently have two studies indicated that well-developed educational material can help
improve road safety. These studies confirm that we cannot afford to not provide road safety education, and
that it is an essential part of any integrated approach to traffic safety.

16 KEY PRINCIPLES
FOR IMPROVING
TRAFFIC SAFETY
AND MOBILITY
EDUCATION

1. EVERYONE SHOULD RECEIVE HIGH QUALITY
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MOBILITY EDUCATION,
ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND YOUNGSTERS

Traffic safety and mobility education is a life-long learning process and everyone regardless of age should
therefore have access to such education.
Road safety education is especially important for children and youngsters up to the age of 18 years old at
kindergartens and schools, as it will prepare them to become safe road users. Notably from the age of 13
years old, when they are traveling unaccompanied and progressively acquire access to powered two
wheelers and cars.
Road safety is a shared responsibility and education on the topic is therefore the responsibility of everybody,
especially of the government, educational authorities, local authorities, schools, and parents.

Only in the Czech Republic, Germany
and Ireland is road safety education
given at all levels of education.

2. INTEGRATE TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MOBILITY
EDUCATION IN THE CURRICULUM IN
KINDERGARTENS AND SCHOOLS

Traffic safety and mobility education should be integrated in the curricula for kindergartens and schools
at all levels. 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, at least a certain amount 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 9) or it can be taught as its own separate and dedicated subject

Flanders

. Traffic Safety Introduced in the Curriculum for Secondary Education
As of September 2019, traffic safety was added to the 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 engage in traffic.

Attention is furthermore paid to finding a balance between conflicting

aspects related to values, notions, behaviour and experiences. Traffic

safety had already been part of the curriculum for [pre-primary and]

primary education in Flanders.

Norway
An Elective Course at Secondary Schools
An elective course in traffic knowledge can be chosen by students in the 8th,
9th and 10th grade [age range] in Norway. The course aims to help students
move safely in traffic by providing the knowledge and skills needed to
influence factors that have a bearing on traffic safety, health and mobility. The
course is practical and aims to motivate the students to think critically.
[Respect for rules and ethical awareness are also addressed as they are
considered crucial for ensuring safety in traffic. The students are made aware
that they serve as role models for each other and for younger students.] About
25% of the schools are offering this course and an evaluation of the course
done by the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research showed good results.1

Portugal
Inclusion in the Curriculum
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