Impact of Traffic Parks on Traffic Safety Education for Elementary School Students

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how elementary school children's knowledge about traffic rules is affected by their experiences to use and play at a traffic park before and after entering school. Four elementary schools are surveyed in Toyohashi City, Japan by using a web-based questionnaire survey. Results show a positive relationship between children's traffic safety awareness with traffic park use frequency and grade. The frequency of traffic park use by the children has a positive impact to increase traffic safety awareness with some exceptions of behavior. It has especially improved children's awareness and behavior regarding some important traffic rules- using a crosswalk when crossing a road, not riding a bicycle side by side, not riding a bicycle together with two people, riding a bicycle on the left side of the road, giving way to a pedestrian when riding a bicycle, and stop at a ‘stop’ sign when riding a bicycle.