The effectiveness of two traffic education programs for children in Finland was evaluated, one for preschoolers (ages 4 and 5) and one for first-graders (ages 6 and 7). The programs were designed to involve parents and their children in traffic safety. The preschool program comprises a three-part TV series and a multipurpose booklet intended for both parents and children, designed mainly to influence parents about child traffic safety. The first-grade program consists of a six-part TV series and a traffic exercise booklet. The basic principle of the program is that parents and children should watch the TV lessons together, learn the safety lessons with the aid of the coordinated booklet, and practice the items in traffic in accordance with supplied instructions. Questionnaires were mailed to target group families in order to elicit the extent to which the programs had been used in homes, effectiveness of the programs in teaching method and factual content, the extent to which the programs had activated parents and children in traffic safety education, and the environment in which children move, including traffic areas. This survey demonstrated that families with children need information and instruction to improve child traffic safety. It was found that the programs had been used, their contents were largely satisfactory, and that they had contributed to educating children about traffic behavior. A major criticism was that the TV broadcasts should be at more convenient times; suggestions were also made on improving the content of the supplementary materials.
Abstract