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De huidige aanpak om kinderen tussen 10 en 14 jaar te leren hoe ze op een veilige manier in het verkeer moeten fietsen, kan altijd beter.
Enerzijds, vallen de resultaten van de Grote Verkeerstoets tegen. Deze test peilt naar het verkeersinzicht bij Vlaamse kinderen uit het vijfde leerjaar. Daarnaast ervaren leerkrachten moeilijkheden om de verkeerslessen authentiek te maken. Het is immers niet eenvoudig om met een hele klas de straat op te gaan. Daardoor geven leerkrachten ook aan dat ze geen juist zicht hebben op de individuele prestaties van de leerlingen.
VRkeer speelt in op deze uitdagingen en creëert op een innovatieve manier authentieke leersituaties voor de leerlingen én een dashboard met learning analytics voor de leerkracht.
Enerzijds, vallen de resultaten van de Grote Verkeerstoets tegen. Deze test peilt naar het verkeersinzicht bij Vlaamse kinderen uit het vijfde leerjaar. Daarnaast ervaren leerkrachten moeilijkheden om de verkeerslessen authentiek te maken. Het is immers niet eenvoudig om met een hele klas de straat op te gaan. Daardoor geven leerkrachten ook aan dat ze geen juist zicht hebben op de individuele prestaties van de leerlingen.
VRkeer speelt in op deze uitdagingen en creëert op een innovatieve manier authentieke leersituaties voor de leerlingen én een dashboard met learning analytics voor de leerkracht.
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One in three children observed in Cluj-Napoca were not wearing any type of restraint compared with, for example a study of 2 652 children in Belgium that found one in five were wearing no restraints. The rates of using restraint in the back seat of a car are generally low in European countries, Romania having the lowest rate of at only 26% (Pan-European Survey Main Results, 2015). The rate of children injured in car crashes and not wearing any type of restraint is high in Cluj-Napoca; police records show that half of the children involved in car crashes were not restraint at the time of the crash, which increases the likelihood of severe injuries and worsen outcomes of crashes.
Injuries, including road traffic injuries, account for 21% of the childhood deaths (0-19 years) in Romania (Mackay & Vincenten, 2012). Specific research conducted in Cluj-Napoca shows that road traffic safety for children should be a concern. A study looking at child patients who suffered head injuries and sought care at Children’s Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca (2008-2010), identified that children who suffered a head injury as a consequence of road traffic crash were almost five times more likely to require advanced care (OR: 4.97; 3.09-8.06) than being released (Rus D, Chereches R, Peek-Asa C, et al. 2016). Our data shows that the proportion of parents who used a safety restraint for their children is much lower than reported in most high-income countries. For example, in Australia and the United States of America the proportion of child occupants in restraints is reported as 90% and, 86% (Peden, et al., 2014), respectively, while in Austria, in 2014, the child restraint use rate was almost 99% (Austrian Road Safety Fund, 2014). Child restraint systems are the best way to protect children as passengers in a car, and currently Romania has a specific legislation to foresee the correct use of child safety restraints (CSR), but to our knowledge, no specific programs have been implemented at the local level to increase correct CSR use by increasing the enforcement of the existing legislation.
In line with the EU regulations, the Romanian Traffic Code was changed in September 2014 to include penalties for drivers who do not secure underage passengers with seatbelt or child safety restraints. Further modifications were enacted in 2015, requiring that children under the age of three or whose height does not exceed 135 cm should travel in a child safety seat, while older children should use seatbelts appropriately adjusted for their weight and height.
All these requirements were implemented at the request of DIRECTIVE 2014/37/EU on use of safety belts and child restraint systems in vehicles. The project will focus on correct use of CSR using evidence-based strategies, documented at local level by the proposed academic partners and in line with the prevention strategies set in the Decade for Action on Road Safety 2011-2020 of the WHO and its’ subsequent 10 prevention strategies targeting children.
Data collected as part of an observational study (2013-2014) shows that in Cluj-Napoca, one third (32.6%) of child passengers between the ages of 0-17 were not wearing any type of restraints when observed (Rus, 2015; Rus, Peek-Asa, Jurchis, & Chereches, 2016). The rates of non-restraints increased with age, children older than five years being less likely to be restraint when travelling in a car (Rus, 2015). Additionally, a qualitative study was conducted to further explore parents’ perceptions, behaviours and decisions regarding the use of child safety restraints in Cluj-Napoca (2016). In this second study, parents acknowledged the role of police officers in education and raising awareness among two groups: parents and children.
Police officers were perceived as key stakeholders in education on road traffic safety Police data. Cluj County Police Data (2015-2016) shows that more than 300 children between the ages of 0 and 3 were involved in a road traffic crash as car passengers. In 2015, 322 children under the age of 3 were involved in a road traffic crash as car passengers, out of which 148 (45.9%) were not wearing any type of restraint. The percentage was almost the same for 2016, 159 (45.2%) out of 352, children under the age of 3 involved in road traffic crash as car passengers were not wearing any type of restraints.
Injuries, including road traffic injuries, account for 21% of the childhood deaths (0-19 years) in Romania (Mackay & Vincenten, 2012). Specific research conducted in Cluj-Napoca shows that road traffic safety for children should be a concern. A study looking at child patients who suffered head injuries and sought care at Children’s Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca (2008-2010), identified that children who suffered a head injury as a consequence of road traffic crash were almost five times more likely to require advanced care (OR: 4.97; 3.09-8.06) than being released (Rus D, Chereches R, Peek-Asa C, et al. 2016). Our data shows that the proportion of parents who used a safety restraint for their children is much lower than reported in most high-income countries. For example, in Australia and the United States of America the proportion of child occupants in restraints is reported as 90% and, 86% (Peden, et al., 2014), respectively, while in Austria, in 2014, the child restraint use rate was almost 99% (Austrian Road Safety Fund, 2014). Child restraint systems are the best way to protect children as passengers in a car, and currently Romania has a specific legislation to foresee the correct use of child safety restraints (CSR), but to our knowledge, no specific programs have been implemented at the local level to increase correct CSR use by increasing the enforcement of the existing legislation.
In line with the EU regulations, the Romanian Traffic Code was changed in September 2014 to include penalties for drivers who do not secure underage passengers with seatbelt or child safety restraints. Further modifications were enacted in 2015, requiring that children under the age of three or whose height does not exceed 135 cm should travel in a child safety seat, while older children should use seatbelts appropriately adjusted for their weight and height.
All these requirements were implemented at the request of DIRECTIVE 2014/37/EU on use of safety belts and child restraint systems in vehicles. The project will focus on correct use of CSR using evidence-based strategies, documented at local level by the proposed academic partners and in line with the prevention strategies set in the Decade for Action on Road Safety 2011-2020 of the WHO and its’ subsequent 10 prevention strategies targeting children.
Data collected as part of an observational study (2013-2014) shows that in Cluj-Napoca, one third (32.6%) of child passengers between the ages of 0-17 were not wearing any type of restraints when observed (Rus, 2015; Rus, Peek-Asa, Jurchis, & Chereches, 2016). The rates of non-restraints increased with age, children older than five years being less likely to be restraint when travelling in a car (Rus, 2015). Additionally, a qualitative study was conducted to further explore parents’ perceptions, behaviours and decisions regarding the use of child safety restraints in Cluj-Napoca (2016). In this second study, parents acknowledged the role of police officers in education and raising awareness among two groups: parents and children.
Police officers were perceived as key stakeholders in education on road traffic safety Police data. Cluj County Police Data (2015-2016) shows that more than 300 children between the ages of 0 and 3 were involved in a road traffic crash as car passengers. In 2015, 322 children under the age of 3 were involved in a road traffic crash as car passengers, out of which 148 (45.9%) were not wearing any type of restraint. The percentage was almost the same for 2016, 159 (45.2%) out of 352, children under the age of 3 involved in road traffic crash as car passengers were not wearing any type of restraints.
Every year there are road casualties among young drivers. In the period of 2015 to 2019, 92 road deaths were registered annually in which a young driver was involved (in The Netherlands). The risk for novice drivers of being involved in a traffic accident is 4.5 times higher than for experienced car drivers. Of the 1 million novice drivers, half are between the ages of 16 and 24. Young people are especially vulnerable on the road, not only because of their ongoing physical and mental development (more attracted to danger, less self-control, peer influence and lower risk assessment) but also due to existing risks on the road.
Novice drivers are a risk group for two main reasons: their lack of driving experience and risky behavior that is characteristic of young people (in the form of speeding). Because of these challenges they misjudge traffic situations. However, this can be trained. TeamAlert developed an intervention including an online training, based on scientific research, targetting novice drivers.
Novice drivers are a risk group for two main reasons: their lack of driving experience and risky behavior that is characteristic of young people (in the form of speeding). Because of these challenges they misjudge traffic situations. However, this can be trained. TeamAlert developed an intervention including an online training, based on scientific research, targetting novice drivers.
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Hastighet är den viktigaste trafiksäkerhetsfaktorn och Göteborgs stad söker nya verktyg för att säkra rätt hastighet. Vi har idag fler än 3000 hastighetsdämpande åtgärder på våra gator och stadens 2500 bilar har, eller kommer att få, ISA installerat. Vi deltar i det nationella forskningsprogrammet för geofencing där ser vi ett nytt verktyg för hastighet, men också för andra viktiga funktioner som tillträde till områden och drivlina. Vi har testat geofencing på olika sätt sedan 2015. Inom den regionala samarbetsplattformen ElectriCity har vi har haft en busslinje i ordinarie trafik med geofencing inom några geografiska områden. Där har geofencinglogiken som styr bussens hastighet lagts in lokalt i bussen. I projekt DIZ2 har vi utvecklat vi möjligheten att föra över data till bussen från t ex trafikkontoret, vilket öppnar för möjligheten att vi som väghållare snabbt kan ändra de geografiska zonerna. I IT-plattformen som har tagits fram inom DIZ2 ligger de hastighetsbegränsade zonerna i områden med många gående och cyklister, till exempel utanför en skola.
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Children are our most vulnerable road users but they cannot be responsible for their own safety when using the road. They simply do not have the cognitive skills to be able to recognise danger, therefore programmes like the Back to School campaign and Safe Cross Code are vital in teaching children essential road safety skills at a young age. No child should walk or cycle on their own to school without supervision. This year marks the 12th year of this campaign. Every year we pick a different topic. In 2021 we launched our Guidelines to improving road safety around your school. The aim is to provide information and tools which will assist school management to develop and implement a road safety action plan in collaboration with the school community to reduce the risk of any incidents occurring during the commute to and from school. In 2020 our theme was about being cautious when children walk and cycle to school. In 2022 we are launching our new Virtual Learning Platform which is an innovative educational programme for schools.