Upon noticing the cyclists' ignorance of basic road rules, these romanian students decided to educate them and publish a brochure.
The ideas
The students researched to bring themselves up to speed on existing road legislation; they also discussed which road safety issues should be addressed and how they could best transmit the information. They concluded their classroom debate by determining that road users don’t always follow the rules and that something must be done about this in order to prevent accidents.
The class decided to focus on the risks that affect cyclists. In their area, many cyclists don’t respect the traffic rules because they don’t know really know them. While observing the cyclists’ behavior, they noticed specific issues: the absence of warning waistcoats, poorly equipped bicycles and cyclists riding on the sidewalk. The students decided to work on these issues in order to reduce the number of accidents.
The initiatives
The students’ main initiative was to create a brochure targeting cyclists, in order to inform them of some important rules often forgotten by bicycle users. This involved a great deal of preparatory research. Students studied the legislation, spoke with local police, observed the traffic and conducted surveys in order to obtain the material for the brochure.
Through the publication, they informed cyclists of the potential consequences of not wearing warning waistcoats. They explained how to properly equip bicycles, and emphasized the importance of obeying the rule that prohibits the circulation of bicycles on the sidewalks. They concluded by transmitting the idea that respecting the traffic rules can save lives.
The students personally distributed the brochures to cyclists of all ages, which enabled them to interact face-to-face with their target audience. Many of the cyclists recognized the importance of the initiative and promised to adapt their behavior accordingly.
A great deal of work remains to be done to improve the safety on the roads. For this reason, the students are planning to launch a campaign to persuade local authorities to implement more bicycle lanes on the streets of their town.
