Effectiveness of traffic safety education: parents, children and schools

Effectiveness of traffic safety education: parents, children and schools Authors: Liz Knight, Transport Accident Commission Emma Clarkson, VicRoads Kids on the move is the core traffic safety education (TSE) resource for Victorian primary schools. It comprises three books. Book 1 focuses on whole school TSE, book 2 on early primary learning and book 3 on later primary. The resource also includes a DVD, A child’s world of traffic to support parents to use everyday traffic situations to teach their children about road safety. To understand the effectiveness of the resource, Edith Cowan University was commissioned to undertake two studies. VicRoads commissioned the initial study. One of the objectives was to evaluate the effectiveness of the pedestrian components of Kids on the move (Book 2 “ Prep to Year 2) and the DVD, A Child’s World of Traffic, including: ¢ Impact of the resources on pedestrian safety knowledge, understanding and self-reported behaviours in parents ¢ Effectiveness of the resources as parent education tools. The TAC commissioned the second study to determine the extent to which the resource has been implemented in Victorian schools. The study will also report on the: ¢ Extent to which schools understand the Victorian ‘core and enrichment’ approach ¢ Barriers to implementation ¢ Most effective approaches for implementation. This paper will report on the outcomes of both studies. The initial study found that the resource had positive results in relation to parents’ supervision of their children and the teaching of road safety skills and behaviours.