/ 31 July 2014

Road safety education

Chota Motala official opening.
Chota Motala official opening.

United Nations statistics on global road safety show that 1.24-million road deaths are reported each year and that 92% of these fatalities occur in developing nations such as South Africa. 

The most vulnerable road users are pedestrians, passengers, cyclists and occupants of buses and minibuses.

Improved road safety for all road users is a primary objective for the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) as it implements its mandate to deliver world-class road infrastructure and a safer road environment. 

The provision of safe infrastructure cannot be divorced from the need to provide road users with sufficient information and road safety training that will result in changed behaviour.

One of the primary concerns about road safety education is that it is aimed at improving children’s knowledge about the subject without necessarily influencing their attitudes as road users. 

Ultimately, the main aim of road safety education should be to change road behaviour, which implies the need for practical education. Children should, thus, be confronted with real life road safety situations in which their decision-making and underlying attitudes can be observed. 

Earlier research shows that the negative consequences of poor road behaviour leading to injuries or fatalities can only be reduced through changed behaviour. Sanral initiated a three-year longitudinal research project. The study focuses on road safety behaviour of learners in primary schools. Five areas were selected as representative to different environments throughout South Africa.

Road safety education is currently provided in the South African schools’ curriculum with specific attention on safety issues in the Foundation Phase and a broader focus on personal responsibility towards general health, environmental and safety issues during the Intermediate Phase.

The research includes the use of structured observations, unstructured focus group interviews, unstructured interviews with specific stakeholders and a knowledge, attitude and behaviour survey. 

Year one of the research is complete and a total number of 825 learners from 30 schools participated in the structured observation.

A total of 29 focus groups and 41 interviews with stakeholders from provincial and municipal government were held. A total of 392 community members participated in the knowledge, attitude and behaviour survey.

Since road safety behaviour is such a complex phenomenon a variety of research methods were developed to investigate and explain the issue. The study also took into account the geographical impact on behaviour and thus included five different sites in both rural and semi-urban localities, namely:

  • Mthatha in the Eastern Cape (six schools and 104 learners);
  • Ugu District in KwaZulu-Natal (six schools and 150 learners);
  • Botlokwa in Limpopo (six schools with 65 learners);
  • Potchefstroom /Ikageng in the North West (six schools with 76 learners);
  • De Doorns in the Western Cape (six schools with 77 learners).

The research team recognises the challenges faced by teachers and learners. Year two and three of the study will be adapted to address these challenges such as language, length of sessions with learners. 

A more structured observation will be used in year two and three.The outcomes of the research covering year one will be used to draw up a baseline to compare outcomes of year two and three.

This article has been paid for by,  and its contents and photographs provided and signed off by Sanral.