OL Finland Vision Railway safety education as part of elementary school traffic safety education Sanna-Riia Mäkitalo 23 rd July 2008
Finnish Railway System Total length of railway lines 5899 km (3665,5 miles) double or more tracked 570 km (354,2 miles) electrified 3047 km (1893,3 miles) Total number of grade crossings 3634 of which 80 % are without safety devices, such as rail barriers, traffic lights, sound signal... Approx. 50 grade crossing accidents yearly, with less than 10 deaths 2
The Number of Grade Crossings Number of grade crossings is decreasing 3
Grade Crossing accidents Number of accidents (pink line) and deaths (blue line) 4
Measures Taken before OL Finland Measures focused on the infrastructure (e.g. new warning devices, replacing grade crossings with other traffic solutions) Some campaigns with e.g. radio advertising (in spring and autumn, target group: drivers) A few attempts to educate children (a campaign including a game, a DVD for youth about the electrified railways and their dangers) Railway Undertaking has been doing some volunteering in railway safety educating, mostly locally and occasionally with help from volunteering train drivers in cooperation with police 5
Objectives of OL Finland The main goal of the work is to diminish tresspassing, playing and mischief in railway environment and to help children to adopt the right behaviour in crossing situations To get the railway safety education as part of the traffic safety teaching frame in elementary schools Increase school kids knowledge of dangers and to teach them the right kind of action in railway environment To educate the future bicyclists, mopedists, bikers, and drivers etc. to act properly in grade crossings 6
Target Groups Elementary school children (of age 7-12) Their teachers Their parents In future also teenagers and high school students 7
Approach The approach is to encourage and support children s own reasoning and their agency by increasing knowledge, telling facts Learning by doing (experiences) Basic principles, meaning behind the right behaviour: flexible application Social agreement and responsibility 8
Starting Points Ready-made lecture plans and modules for teachers Utilizing also the existing material of OL, but it should be translated into Finnish language, culture, practices and pictures; localized Member of the Finnish traffic safety education network Using the existing channels and structures through elementary schools 9
Measures Preparing material for teachers, school kids and their parents Web site with the material, information and a railway safety game Marketing the material for the target groups Producing and distributing the side material, such as stickers, brochures, posters etc. 10
Channels & Partners Finnish Board of Education Traffic safety education network in Finland Magazine of Finnish Board of Education (Spektri) Teachers professional magazine (Opettaja) Other newspapers (articles about railway safety & children) Local/regional education & culture authorities Elementary schools Internet VR Group (Railway Undertaking) Finnish Rail Administration 11
Next Steps Making the program better known by utilizing the channels of the Finnish National Board of Education We will be introduced to schools and teachers during the next nation-wide traffic safety week in early September Piloting the material in some selected schools to see how it works Creating a website with existing material and some functionalities e.g. rail traffic safety game for children Launching and marketing the website to the target groups 12