Children, road safety and the media

Abstract

The 'Safety on the Road' Children Campaign was launched in May 1999 to promote safety and to increase awareness of traffic safety. Since children are at such risks when they are outdoors, it is imperative that they learn how to cope with the potential dangers on the roads. This has been the underlying motive behind this work. The campaign includes a series of events held at locality level in conjunction with respective Local Councils. Although all children in each respective locality are asked to participate in the activities, (which include, competitions, talks on road safety as well as other attractions) the campaign needs to be supported by the educational system and the mass media. The study focuses on, the use of the mass media for the promotion of road safety education within schools. Chapter 2 of this dissertation starts with a literature review which outlines (a) past research into road safety education in schools, (b) earlier studies on pedestrian safety and mass media communication, and (c) the local traffic safety campaign. Questionnaires were used to collect data from parents and teachers from five primary schools and traffic police officers. The study is of a quantitative nature. The results give evidence that the media plays an important role in the learning process of a child and that therefore road safety education should be included within the school curriculum through the use of various media.