Road safety education: Directions for the future

Abstract

Road safety education (RSE) is viewed as an integral component of any road safety strategy for improving the safety of young road users. Indeed, the OECD has identified school-based RSE programs as a priority for reducing the risks of injury or death amongst young road users. A range of RSE approaches have been employed to address safety concerns for young road users, however, due to a lack of evaluation there is little evidence for or against the effectiveness of these programs. In order to ascertain the current state and effectiveness of school-based RSE programs a review of Australian and international RSE programs from the last decade was undertaken. This review revealed a number of limitations in current approaches, perhaps the most concerning among these being that many school-based RSE programs are not evidence based. Addressing these issues and other limitations in the way programs are provided may improve existing RSE programs. This paper provides some future direction for school based RSE by identifying areas for improvement in existing approaches and identifying areas for further research to ensure the continued evolution of school-based RSE.