We can do many things to improve road safety just by changing our own behaviors, but sometimes we need help from the authorities. Students in Romania worked together with local citizens and the city hall to make an important change in their community.
The ideas
Seventh grade students from Scoala Gimnazială Pavel Covaci Macea in Romania wanted to work with their community to make changes that would improve road safety. They started by having a discussion about road legislation in their area, traffic problems that need to be solved, and how best contribute to road safety.
Then they conducted further research about road safety in their community to help them identify the problem that they would dedicate themselves to solving. They chose to focus on the area around their school, where there was no pedestrian crossing and no ‘Attention to Children’ sign. Many children had to cross this street each day without basic road safety to help protect them from traffic accidents.
That’s why the students chose to create an initiative that would improve this dangerous situation.
The initiatives
The class organized a campaign to influence local authorities with the overall aim of getting the pedestrian crossing and sign put in place in front of their school. They began by making a petition and going out to explain the project and collect signatures from residents.
As they were talking to community members, they shared the message that it’s better to take an action to prevent accidents than it is to take action after an accident has happened. They also shared the message that everyone can do something for road safety in their city – even children. They explained to people the importance of the crosswalk, and everyone signed the petition for the local authorities.
After presenting the petition in city hall, the class waited to hear back about their decision. The initiative turned out to be a success! On 29 April, the students had their pedestrian crossing and sign, and now are able to feel much safer when crossing the street.
The students appreciated the interest of their community, and the community appreciated the efforts by the students. They were very happy to make a positive contribution to their community, and to know that even kids can work with local authorities to make changes!
