Road safety for all based on the knowledge of the very young who are, the pedestrians of today and the drivers of tomorrow. Be safe, take care of yourself and take care of other road users as well!
Tes Idées
• Identification of the problem and campaign:
• The students observed the traffic in town. They positioned themselves at crossroads and noted down the impressions they got about all traffic participants. In our city often the people cross streets instead of using a pedestrian crossing. They do not look both ways correctly (first left and then right), children often run or suddenly run out in front of cars, and all this leads to danger, and in some cases injury. The students paid attention to the conduct of drivers and pedestrians and measured the level of responsible behaviour. Then they analysed their data and made a presentation on their impressions and conclusions.
• Definition of tasks and teams: The students planned to write the script of a play based on their previous impressions and conclusions.
Tes initiatives
1. The students organised a quiz contest and finally gave away safety vests and ‘cat’s eyes’ (reflectors) to the winners.
If we manage to get someone to donate cat's eyes, they can be attached to a backpack or jacket. Later, after the performance, we would like to divide them among the children in the classroom and explain to them what benefits they have, as they can clearly be perceived in traffic
2. The students plan to perform the play for a young audience, children aged between seven and eleven at primary school.
Target group: pupils in primary school first or second grades
Realisation: performance by secondary school students
Players: mother, father, child, traffic policeman, traffic lights, car
Script
Scene number 1
Early morning. The family has just woken up and is getting ready for work and school. Mum is running around the house and cannot find all the necessary things. While she is running, she is putting on makeup, combing her hair and putting her sweater on back-to-front. All the time she is rushing the child to get ready, not to forget books and snacks. So only the child is ready, with a bag on his back, waiting beside the table. The father is also busy; he is drinking his coffee very quickly and looking around for socks and shoes. And he also rushes his son.
Scene number 2
The family comes out. They are running for a while, and then stop as they feel tired. All the time they are looking at their watches and screaming that they will be late. The traffic light is red, but mum and dad run across the street and drag the child behind. The child rebels, but the parents do not pay attention to him. A car stops suddenly and the squeal of brakes is heard. "Traffic light!” the driver is turning toward them, shouting to them: "It's red, red... stop!”Mum turns around and says: "What are you yelling for, we did not see that it was red!"
Behind the traffic light the policeman shows up and says: "So, you see that, don´t you? Then you need to pay a fine for crossing the street at a red light. You must not cross, you know that. Please 5,000 dinars, ma'am!"
Mum rummages through her bag and pulls out a wallet, but has no money inside. Dad is looking for his wallet, but can´t find it. So the child puts his hand into his pocket and takes out 100 dinars saying: “Here you are, I do not have to buy lunch".
The parents are turning red, they are ashamed, and the policeman says that they can leave this time without paying the fine.
Scene number 3
The parents are sitting at the table, the computer is turned on and, supervised by their son, they are practicing traffic rules.
The traffic light is ‘talking’ to the children in the class: “Can we see how much you know about the rules? Maybe you are better than your parents, huh?"
The presentation followed, with questions that pupils in first and second grades gave answers to:
We can cross the street when the traffic light is:
1. Red
2. Green
3. Only when there is no electricity and the lights are not on.
When we go to school or go back home from school, we should walk:
1. At the edge of the street right next to the sidewalk
2. Only on the sidewalk
3. Run from one side of the street to the other so we do not get bored.
If there is marked pedestrian crossing, how do we cross the street:
1. It is mandatory to cross in another place, without using the pedestrian crossing
2. We keep moving on until we see the next set of traffic lights
3. Only at the pedestrian crosswalk.
When we cross the street, we need to look:
1. First left and then right
2. Nowhere, you need to be quick and run to the other side
3. Right and then left.
After this response the father, mother and child are crossing the street, a car also is coming down the street, and they show why we need to look first left and not right.
For correct answers about the traffic lights the family rewarded the pupils with applause and the policeman gives them candy. Finally the pupils received the certificate of ‘qualified pedestrians’.
