Lifelong traffic education

In Liikenneturva we regard road safety education as a lifelong process targeted at all members of the community from babies to grandfathers. Road safety entails that we develop our skills, knowledge and our way of thinking in line with our changing needs at different stages of life and in our different roles as road users.

The main aims of traffic education have traditionally been

• to promote the right attitudes and give all road users soundbackgroundknowledge of road safety and
  
  
• to offer people survival skills, such as knowledge of traffic rules, ability to take other road users into consideration, readiness to anticipate traffic situations and to observe and size-up different factors in traffic in advance, as well as use safety equipment properly

New approaches have stressed the importance of following objectives for education

• to raise public appreciation and awareness of safety issues in the community
• to make people willing to accept and demand traffic safety measures
• to support the implementation of different traffic safety measures
• to help people to understand how the traffic system works

The "Vision Zero" approach emphasizes an active role for the road user. It is required that the road user has sufficient knowledge of the rules and regulations and knows how to act accordingly. He also needs to have knowledge regarding the use of proper safety devices.

The Vision Zero approach alsorequires that the road user is willing to actively pursue solutions to problematic issues involving traffic safety. In order to achieve this ability, he needs information about the way the officials work and about the various channels through which he can voice his concerns and help to make a difference.

Key objectives for improved results

The content of lifelong road user education shifts in detail depending on the age group: with the youngest children, the goal is protection; with young people and adults the objective shifts to promotion of self-control; and with the elderly it returns to safety and protection issues.

Safety education has been upgraded by adhering to the following objectives:

1. Step One. The road safety education must be systematic.
   Since the road safety education is targeted at people of all ages (from babies to grandfathers) it is an essential part of all operations to promote public health and traffic safety from day-care centers to business­es. This has resulted in a closer collaboration between various authorities and organi­zations, particularly in the field of local administration.
   
   
2. Step Two. Various channels and measurements are in use jointly.
   Various approaches can be integrated in education; such as traffic surveillance and cooperation with local press and media.
   
   
3. Step Three. Promoting grass-roots initiative.
   Traffic education is often seen as a matter for experts. It is equally important that all road users are encouraged to take initiative. Individual members of the community often become motivated through an interest in neighborhood problems and through wanting to promote the safety of their families. It is important that the road safety education takes into account the specific needs of each target group, whether young or old.
   
   
4. Step Four. From theory to practice.
   The issue of learning how to cope with traffic especially for the youngest members of the community  must be addressed in relation to the roads and the traffic problems the children have to face every day.

Practicing in traffic is of great importance in order to achieve effective learning methods. Understanding the why´s and the how´s is far more important than simply learning the rules by heart. Pointing out danger spots in the neighborhood is also an effective approach into teaching traffic regulations.

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