WKW calls for more child safety

WKW calls for more child safety

Safety equipment for children has steadily improved in recent years: helmets made from the most modern materials, LED lights and highly visible reflectors go a long way to ensuring that children are better seen and protected. Unfortunately, the accident statistics are not developing in the desired direction. Although the number of injured children in vehicles is constantly decreasing, the number of children who had to go to hospital after accidents in road traffic has increased by a third in the past ten years, as Klaus Robatsch from the Road Safety Board (KFV) explains: "While there were 5,300 injured children in 2014, the number rose to 7,100 last year. Almost four out of 10 accidents recently happened on bicycles (37 percent). Accidents involving scooters, scooters, skateboards, inline skates or hoverboards have recently had a much higher impact at 30 percent.”

Stephanie Ernst, chairwoman of the Viennese vehicle trade, has therefore dedicated the third edition of the safety panel to the topic of “Safety of children in road traffic” and has again brought in external partners and stakeholders, this time the Board of Trustees for Road Safety, the Vienna Education Directorate, and representatives of car clubs. "We recently took a closer look at the new forms of mobility such as scooters or cargo bikes, all of which are very quiet and sometimes travel at high speeds," says Stephanie Ernst, who points out that "this is a great danger, especially for the little ones, because their perception is not yet that trained and safe. Now it is important to create awareness and take measures." The vehicle trade committee is therefore launching an information and awareness campaign from November – via the website and social media channels “Gemeinsam Mobil”.

A lot is being done in schools to address children's limited perceptual abilities, as Ulrike Mangl, head of the educational service at the Vienna Education Directorate, emphasizes: "We focus on building up knowledge, consciously reflecting and increasingly assuming responsibility. The curriculum includes the mandatory traffic and mobility education exercise in elementary school. There is also the option of taking a cycling test at the age of ten or when you reach the 4th grade. From the 5th grade. The offer is non-binding or can be covered as an optional subject, but I think it would be good to strengthen the cross-curricular presence of this topic in secondary school.” It is not primarily the children themselves who are responsible for accidents, for example through inattention or distraction. In fact, in 69 percent of cases, adults are the culprits, according to statistics from the Road Safety Board. The main reasons for this are inattention and distraction, which affects both children and adults, who should become more aware of their role as role models. Therefore, everyone present called for a more conscious use of cell phones, based on the motto “Put your cell phone in your pocket, no matter how I’m traveling.” 

However, access to more safety for our children cannot only come from the children themselves, according to KFV expert Robatsch: “We don’t need traffic-friendly children, but rather child-friendly traffic and should try to include the youngest in the design of shared mobility.” Stephanie Ernst adds: "Comprehensive safety concepts and measures are needed that include all road users and all new forms of mobility. This ranges from driver's licenses and driving training to mandatory license plates and insurance through to regular technical inspections. As a vehicle dealer, we are happy to continue to make our contribution."