Disorder in traffic, accidents and the lack of respect for the regulations are topics we are concerned about in our city. Early education on the rules and road signs will help us to value life and have a safe community.
The ideas
Disorderly traffic, road accidents and no respect for regulations are current problems in our city. We have analyzed how early education on road safety and traffic signals can help our community to solve this problem. We have discussed how to get a message to children at the other schools so that they become aware of the importance of respecting others, of valuing life and of living in a safe community without traffic accidents.
Students’ conclusions: Some findings had to do with the chaos in the street and the lack of respect for the rules and people’s lives. Students also expressed their views about their own behavior and about their parents´ driving when they arrive and leave schools. They also thought about the importance of road safety education from a very early age, so that when they become adults and get their licenses, they can respect people and value life above all things. Students identified problems such as a lack of respect for existing regulations and people’s lives, and about people struggling to travel along public streets. These issues were relevant to them because there are many accidents, many of them fatal; and most tragedies occur because the traffic regulations that are in force in the city are not respected.
The initiatives
Students decided that on September 26th (the Day of the Green Walking Sticks, which aims to raise awareness of people with impaired vision) they would do an activity on public roads, stopping traffic in the streets and a playing a game which is played by the blind; as well as teaching people and motorists who passed by how to help people with vision difficulties cross the street; they would raise awareness about the difficulties faced by many people when transiting the public streets and how responsible they need to be while driving.
This initiative wanted to convey a message of respect, solidarity and consciousness. Students also considered more responsibly the situation of pedestrians. The message of respect for life, equality and solidarity was reinforced.
Our action was chosen to raise people’s awareness and addressed to the entire community. This situation was used to teach the community how to help a person who has difficulty crossing the street; to teach drivers to be more responsible for their actions; and to support people who have difficulty; thus making people conscious about equality, solidarity and mutual aid.
We requested the municipality of the city to stop traffic in the streets, aided by control inspectors who helped us to carry out the activity. We used the Day of the Green Walking Sticks as an excellent opportunity to present our project and attended several educational institutions where we worked cooperatively, supported by audiovisual productions, relatives and friends of people with sight difficulties and the whole community.
Educational game initiatives to attract the public and have fun were also used.
Students involved in the initiative visited the place where people with vision difficulties lived; they listened to their problems and planned to meet in the street to do an activity together.
Students learned how to properly accompany a blind person, how to act to help educate and prevent traffic accidents and how to encourage the safety of people and a respect for life.
They also researched information on problems such as how to address and organize the stages of work.
The ways in which the impact of this project was evaluated had to do with the presence of the community, their participation, and their willingness to listen and learn; the commitment and attention of drivers willing to listen and reflect on their actions; the degree of seriousness with which the issue was discussed, and also from didactic, healthy and supportive actions.
We also observed the impact on the students involved and the enthusiasm of the family and friends of people with vision difficulties.
In 2015, our students will create audio files to propose preventive measures needed to live in a safer city with transit. These sound files will be published on official media sites, on the radio and on social networks.
