This paper begins by discussing children's behaviour and attitudes as road users, then presents the school project Explore and Learn of the Swedish National Road Administration. Children develop by playing in their local environment and exploring it. They are vulnerable to road traffic because, under 12, they are not equipped for consistently safe behaviour in traffic. Observed reductions in road accidents involving children often result from reductions in their mobility. The project aims to: (1) provide children with knowledge and understanding of how the community is constructed and how the road system works; (2) prepare students to provide for their future role in a society where citizen participation will be increasingly important; and (3) actively encourage students to become willing and able to take part in projects to improve their local community. The project is to be organised into themes focusing on society, traffic, and the environment, so that road safety is presented in a holistic perspective. The students are to study, process, document, evaluate, and propose changes to their local community. They are to express and present their observations in the form of talks, writing, pictures, handicrafts, play, drama, and music. They are to be active participants and given power and responsibility.
Samenvatting