Educating children on road safety
More than 8,000 children aged 0-14 years have been killed over the last 10 years on the European Union’s roads (according to a survey published in 2019 by the European Transport Safety Council), while in Greece, in 2017, 12 children died, 30 were seriously injured and another 500 faced only minor injuries.
Make Roads Safe Hellas, aiming to effectively respond and act proactively, in collaboration with the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST), started in 2015 and continues supporting the education of children, parents and teachers on road safety.
Make Roads Safe Hellas offer a specialized Road Safety Educational Program for children, which adapted to the learning abilities and needs of children aged (a) under 6 years, (b) 6-12 years and (c) 12-14 years. The program includes a set of activities that help children, the most vulnerable road users, to: understand traffic elements and the associated risks, adopt safe behavior as road users (pedestrians, cyclists, vehicle passengers), know how they can make the right choices to avoid a road accident. At the same time, the program aims to raise awareness of parents about the proper use of children car seats and safety equipment.
The Programme has been also offered at the Motor Museum to over 5,000 children with a very positive evaluation by teachers.
For the past seven years, the Program for preschool children has been offered to the municipal kindergartens of Chania, in collaboration with the Municipal Organization of Social Policy and Education (DOKOIPP). Almost 3,000 children have attended in 55 schools, while 68 teachers were informed on the basic elements of the program. In a relevant survey, the kindergartens’ teachers ranked first when asked to evaluate last school year’s external programs.
