A survey of nearly 300 preschools in Sweden with 10000 children was carried out. Responses to questionnaires sent out to preschool personnel (response rate of 95%) and the children's parents (response rate of 70%) have provided information concerning, among other areas, the traffic environment surrounding the preschools and the children's mode of transportation and route to/from school. Time of the year as well as the effect of where in sweden the preschool was located were studied. Accidents and near accidents were also studied during the period january, 1977, to may 1978. In 15% of the preschools, the traffic environment and in 25% of the preschools, the routes to school were considered dangerous. Factors characterizing a dangerous traffic environment included a lack of or poor quality of existing fences, lack of warning signs, obstructed vision, and too high a speed on roads surrounding the preschool. Safety hindrances for the large group of children walking and bicycling to preschool included, e.g. the lack of proper pedestrian and bicycle paths. In nearly all of the preschools (96%), at least some traffic education was stated as being given, although the form and extent of this education varied greatly. Parents, however, felt that most of the children's education in traffic was provided at home. Nearly half of the parents used material from "the children's traffic club".
Samenvatting