Parents and road safety : attitudes, knowledge and behaviours of parents of children aged 5 to 7 years. Commissioned by the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales RTA, Road Safety and Traffic Management Directorate.

A survey was made of 200 parents from different areas of Sydney with children aged 5 to 7 years, to determine their concerns about road safety, the safety of their local area, their road safety attitudes and behaviours, what they taught their children about road safety, their understanding of children's limitations in traffic, and their willingness to participate in road safety programs. This report presents the result of the survey, and gives suggestions for a road safety program parents could teach their children at home. The sample showed an awareness of dangers to children as road users, particularly as pedestrians, and of their responsibility for teaching their children about road safety. They listed the types of road safety lessons they taught their children, and the methods used. The need for more information and the importance of teacher participation were stressed, and the notion of road safety education programs involving parents was popular. Parents also listed their own safe and unsafe practices as road users, and showed some knowledge of the difficulties experienced by children when crossing the road. The report concludes with a set of suggestions for the development of a road safety education program that parents could teach their children at home. (A)