Potential for Partnership: Early Childhood Road Safety Education at Home and Preschool

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a research study which investigated the relationships between the road safety knowledge of preschool-aged children and the approaches towards road safety education reported by their families and the preschool director. Interviews took place with 30 four-year-old children, their parents, and the director of their preschool in suburban Sydney. Given their age and traffic experiences, the children demonstrated a reasonable knowledge of road safety rules. Knowledge, however, is not enough to ensure road safety, as skilled behaviour is also essential. The findings indicate that, although parents were the prime source of road safety education for the children, most parents used limited strategies for encouraging safe behaviour. In addition, the study found that while parents did not perceive a need for educational resources, they were unsure of how they would proceed beyond their initial strategies for road safety education. The findings of this research suggest that parental awareness about road safety education can be strengthened through a partnership approach between families and children's services.