Over the years 1993 and 1994, a great number of pupils and students (aged 7 to 17 years) have been injured and killed in road accidents in Poland.This unfavourable situation was the basic argument for the Ministry of Education to take quick decisions to introduce lessons in road traffic safety in those divisions of the general educational system whose curriculum has not included these matters. The enactment of the Minister of National Education on obligatory classes in road traffic safety in all primary school grades and selected secondary school grades came into force in 1995. An important role in the teaching programme was also given to relevant technology. The traffic education system, including road traffic safety, is currently established and is made up of four phases. Phase 1 encompasses children of pre-school and kindergarten age. Phase 2 encompasses the lower primary school grades (1, 2 and 3). Phase 3 is implemented for the first time in every primary school grade from 4 through 8. Phase 4 encompasses the freshmen and sophomores of preparatory secondary schools. In the wake of a period of preparations, all schools started teaching safe movement in road traffic, in line with the presented education system, as of September 1995.
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