Children must learn more about road safety in Europe

24 September 2014

The FIA Region I called on national governments to prioritise the road safety education of children.

Results of the FIA Region I Traffic Safety Education Survey  have shown the stark fragmentation in educational standards on road safety.

They range from very good in countries like Germany and Latvia to completely unregulated in the UK. Good traffic education could help reduce the 829 annual road deaths of European children under the age of 15.

The survey showed that two thirds of countries do not have mandatory traffic education. In many of the countries without mandatory traffic education, Automobile and Mobility Clubs take a leading role in teaching children about traffic safety. The activities carried out by Automobile Clubs range from practical traffic obstacle courses to theoretical classes.

The survey also examined bike safety education of children and found that only six out of the 21 countries in the survey had an exam to test children’s knowledge before allowing them to cycle in traffic. Additionally, the exam was only mandatory in five countries.

“As part of the European Commission’s Mobility Week, we felt it was the right time to call on all European countries to prioritise the traffic education that they offer to children. The FIA supports starting traffic education early and continuing learning about road safety on a lifelong basis,” said Thierry Willemarck, President of FIA Region I.