This paper presents a research project on the possibilities of safety training for and by parents of children aged 0-4. It was commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), and conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in collaboration with the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT). The project's objectives are to: (1) establish the pattern of road accidents involving under-fives and how it changes with age; (2) identify opportunities for contacts with parents where safety messages can be delivered; (3) design the text and ideas for four booklets that together provide a safety education resource; (4) prepare a full-colour version of the first booklet for testing; and (5) conduct a before-and-after survey of that booklet on the safety knowledge and self-reported behaviour of a sample of 120 parents. The five stages of the project were statistical review of casualties, review of safety literature, exploratory interviews, designing the resource, and evaluating the first booklet. The paper gives some details of the findings of the literature review, interviews, and booklet evaluation, and discusses the resource design. It was found that parents welcome the resource, and that its use can significantly increase knowledge of safety and accident prevention.
Abstract