Skip to main content

Road safety education in the spotlight

Road safety education is severely lacking in much of Europe. That is the finding of research by the European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC). According to this new report, there are vast differences in the amount of road safety education given to children across Europe, particularly at secondary school level. The research shows that road safety education is provided to children in primary education all over Europe. However, it is not given to youngsters in secondary education in 20% of the 36 European s
January 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Road safety education is severely lacking in much of Europe. That is the finding of research by the European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC). According to this new report, there are vast differences in the amount of road safety education given to children across Europe, particularly at secondary school level.


The research shows that road safety education is provided to children in primary education all over Europe. However, it is not given to youngsters in secondary education in 20% of the 36 European states and regions studied. In addition, the research shows that traffic safety and mobility education is only sparsely addressed in secondary education in most of the states and regions where it is given.

Few states and regions have a legal minimum requirement for the amount of road safety education that should be given at secondary school. And only 50% of states and regions that do offer road safety education set educational goals for what should be taught.

The risk of a road death increases sharply after 13 years of age, as children start to travel independently. For youngsters aged 15-19, road collisions are the main external cause of death. However, it is not known how effective current road safety education practices are at reducing deaths and injuries due to a lack of wide-ranging studies on the issue.

To help tackle this issue, a new event is being run in Madrid providing a focus on traffic education in Europe. This is being coordinated by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge (VSV) and Fundación MAPFRE. The report has been written in collaboration with more than 30 road safety education experts from across Europe.

The Leveraging Education to Advance Road safety Now! (LEARN!) project aims to promote traffic safety and mobility education across Europe. It will boost the international community of road safety education experts and establish best practice guidelines for the design, testing, implementation and evaluation of road safety education activities and programmes.

The project has a website (%$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external www.trafficsafetyeducation.eu false http://www.trafficsafetyeducation.eu/ false false%>), with resources for road safety education experts and the possibility to sign-up for updates on the latest news, projects, best practice examples and material related to traffic safety and mobility education.

Related Content

  • PIARC publishing road safety manual
    November 17, 2015
    A new publication from the World Road Association will help boost road safety worldwide. The PIARC/World Road Association Road Safety Manual is authored by ARRB and was unveiled at the recent World Road Congress held in South Korea. This second edition of the Road Safety Manual is the outcome of a project undertaken by the World Road Association (PIARC) as a contribution to the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. It is intended to help all countries building capacity for managing road safety. A
  • Highway Procurement: IRF Steps up to the plate to leverage long term value
    May 15, 2019
    Public procurement can be leveraged to deliver long-term value for money, and promote innovation and sustainability, according to a new White Paper published by the International Road Federation in consultation with key international specialists. “When procurement guidelines are not enforced with a high degree of professionalism, there is a much higher risk of sub-optimal delivery,” noted Eric Cook, co-chair of the IRF Committee on Alternative Financing & Procurement, who convened the stakeholders for a h
  • Belarus opts for a PPP road scheme
    August 12, 2019
    Belarus has started pre-qualification for what will be the country’s first public-private partnership – the M-10 motorway upgrade. David Arminas reports "There’s a little bit of almost everything in this project,” said Steve Gilpin, technical team leader and associate of engineers Ove Arup & Partners International. True to his word, there is. That was how Gilpin kicked off his presentation about Belarus’s planned M-10 motorway project to 180 international bankers, private investors, contractors and en
  • Asphalt Institute Foundation – research request for new specifications
    August 16, 2019
    The Asphalt Institute Foundation (AIF) has released Request for Proposals (RFP) for research into asphalt durability. These next-generation specifications are intended to boost asphalt performance and sustainability. The RFPs are being funded through the AIF research committee. The research areas originated from discussions held at the inaugural AIF-sponsored Strategic Asphalt Research (STAR) symposium. The RFPs are available on the Asphalt Institute Foundation’s website at asphaltfoundation.org. The deadl