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Prevention C am paigns A gainst Traffic A ccidents in

M iddle Schools in R hone A lpes R egion

C. Mercier-Guyon,* MD - L. Guillaume,** MD - T. Roupioz,** MD

*CERMT BP 132 74004 Annecy Cedex** SAMU SAU Centre H ospitalier 74011 Annecy

Secundary school boys and girls are a privileged target in traffic safety, due to the hight

percentage o f accidents involving them, but also due to the wish o f the society to help them to

create an adaptated behavior and a harmonious development o f their personality.

Prevention campaigns wich are intented for them are mainly based upon classical frame of

communication ( research o f slogans, strong images, classical educational programs and rarely

use more active methods involving their creativity.

A common criticism concerns the lack o f evaluation o f those campaigns. Their instigators do not

have at their disposal specific tools to evaluate the impact o f those campaigns.

Epidemiology

In 1995 the national datas for traffic safety were :

8 891 fatalities, 39 259 serious injuries , 142 146 slight injuries

concerning the youth.the 15-24 years old make up 13,8% o f the population but, in term of

accidents :

25,4% o f fatalities , 31,5% o f serious injuries , 31,5% o f slight injuries

as we can see the 15-24 years population has a heavy risk o f accident compared to the other

categories.

The datas in Rhone Alpes Region are quite the same in term o f age related datas, with only a

number o f accidents a few higher than in the national datas.

Purpose of the study

The project consisted in the settling o f different kind o f prevention campaigns in secundary

schools and in an evaluation, with questionaries o f the knowledge and o f the opinion o f the youth

in the field o f traffic safety. Some items o f their behavior have also been evaluated, before and

after the campaigns, with 3 months between the two phases. The questionaries were also

submitted in each school to a control group o f same size which did not participate to the actions.

Population :

The project concerned 29 secundary schools selected on a voluntary base.

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Prevention Action :

- classical actions :Gathering classical tools like video, speeches by external speakers

(social insurance, road safety, police, etc...) During half day sessions or all day sessions devoted

to traffic safety.

- specific actions :

- detection of blackheads : Involving youth, technical services for roads,

authorities. It consist in a detection, by the boys and girls o f the blackheads on their way from

home to school and usual other ways, and in discussion with authorities;

- night sight and light marking :Trying to bring a better knowledge on night

sight and introducing a discussion on the social acceptance o f specific clothing, safe but not

bound to be in fashion.

- prevention of alcohol risk par simulator of alcoholemia (S .I.M .A .L .C .):

The action is based on the use o f a simulator to induce the discussion about alcohol effects on

behavior, individual characteristics ( age, weight, kind o f beverage ...), w ith a leader and groups

o f 3 to 5 young boys and girls.

- creation of a traffic safety poster iConception and making o f traffic safety

posters by classes specialised in graphic art. Due to the work o f creativity and o f thought, this

action is supposed to induce a long term benefit in term o f behavior.

- videotape :The use o f videotape is common in traffic safety, but it is generally

reduced to the only projection and to discussion on the accidents showed.In this action, the

videotape are showed and, then, the students have to criticize and to propose other scenarios by

groups o f 2 or 3, in the aim to approach their own worries and to focus on the best targets.

Evaluation

The evaluation used questionaries before and after the campaigns, concerning sociological

characteristics ( age, gender, place o f living, engines used),psychological characteristics ( risk

taking, competition, respect o f laws and rules), acceptance o f m edia supports, acceptance o f

prevention campaigns,opinion about the role o f schools and teachers in prevention, opinion about

traffic safety problems, traffic safety knowledge.

Results

- 29 schools were involved, 1 had to stop before the campaign due to technical problems,

2 had to stop after the first questionary due to calendar problems. Finally 1584 sujects participate

to the first phase and 1249 to the second phase

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Fig 1

1 st evaluation 2nd evaluation

Action group 821 ( M 4 5 3 / F 165) 6 1 8 (7 5 ,2 % )

Control group 763 (M 4 6 8 / F 163) 631 (82,6 %)

Total 1584 1249 (76,2 %)

First evaluation

Fig 2 Opinion about prevention campaigns in traffic safety

improving responsability infantilist

Action group 56,2 43,8

Control group 51,4 48,6

shocking not shocking



usefull not usefull



adaptated to youth non adaptated



linguage adapted to youth non adaptated



changing your opinion not changing



changing your behavior not changing



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Opinions ab o u t traffic safety

Fig 3 W hat are the 3 first causes o f accidents

alcohol speed fatigue risk

taking

old

drivers

vehicles roads

A.G. 90,7 95,3 60,2 46,3 17,1 6,1 5,4

C.G. 91,3 96,1 56,7 45,2 16,5 5,8 5,9

Fig 4 W hat are the best places or institutions for traffic safety actions

school associations city county state

A.G. 51,8 22,3 13,3 7,9 14,7

C.G. 53,3 21,6 11,9 8,3 14,9

Fig 5 W hat should be the must usefull measures to improve traffic safety

more usefull less usefull

Enforce regulation Action Group 48,6 51,4

Control Group 45,8 54,2

Enforce controles Action Group 54,1 45,9


Improve the roads Action Group 68,0 32,0


Improve vehicles Action Group 71,3 28,7


Improve driving education Action Group 66,5 33,5


Improve self discipline Action Group 80,3 19,7


Improve awareness about road accidents A.G. 64,6 35,4

C.G. 63,7 36,3

Limitation of traffic Action Group 47,2 52.8


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Comments on the first evaluation

- Sociology :An over representation o f boys is observed due to the choice o f the classes

by the schools (boys supposed more concerned)

- Opinion on traffic safety campaigns :They are estimated as lightly responsabilising,

not shocking, rather usefull but also rather inadaptated to youth, using a linguage inadaptated.

They are estimated as not able to change their own vision o f the problem and their behavior.

Know ledge in traffic safety

The main causes o f accidents are well known but the elderly drivers are over estimated compared

to reality.

The opinion about the role o f schools in prevention of road accidents is rather well accepted

but with a clear choice for external actors associate with the teachers.

The opinions proposed by the subjects are rather co h eren t:

- against new regulations, but in favor o f more controles, to improve drivers education and

self discipline,to improve awareness about road accidents

Results o f the second evaluation

The items compared were :

- knowledge about causes o f accidents

- proposition to improve traffic safety

Fig 6 Causes o f accidents (1 s t / 2nd) Classical action


taking

old

drivers

vehicles road

A .C .170 88,6/92,3 93,6/95,3 61,7/59,1 46,8/52,6 17,5/15,3 5,4/6,1 3,9/5,5

C.G. 189 87,9/84,6 95,1/95,7 59,4/60,2 45,3/47,1 16,8/17,0 5,8/5,3 5,7/5,3

Fig 7 Causes o f accidents (1 s t / 2nd) SIMALC


taking

old

drivers

vehicles road

A.C. 217 89,4/95,6 93,6/94,1 62,3/53,6 48,2/60,5 18,5/12,1 5,8/3,8 5,7/5,4

C.G. 216 91,1/93,8 95,4/95,9 57,7/55,8 46,9/48,3 17,3/15,9 5,5/5,1 5,8/5,9

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Fig 8 Causes o f accidents (1 s t / 2nd) Videotape analysis


taking

old

drivers

vehicles roads

A .G . 167 92,4/98,4 96,7/97,2 56,3/51,0 43,2/69,0 15,5/6,1 6,9/5,4 5,3/3,7

C.G. 152 92,5/90,2 97,0/93,4 54,8/57,4 44,7/41,2 15,1/13,8 6,2/8,0 6,1/6,8

There is not effect o f classical action on th is know ledge but, w ith the S IM A L C group and the

videotape group, w e can observe a better score for risk taking and alcohol and a low er score for

age, fatigue, roads and vehicles.

The blackhead detection group and the poster group w ere not num erous enough for a sta tistical

analysis.

Fig 9 The propositions to improve traffic safety

Classical actions SIMALC Video analysis

A.G. C.G. A.G. C.G. A .G . C.G.

enforcem ent 48,4/45,9 46,7/45,1 49,1/46,8 47,3/46,5 48,2/46,3 44,3/42,0

controls 55,2/57,5 54,0/55,3 57,1/59,5 54,1/54,8 50,3/62,5 46,7/48,9*

roads im provem ent 67,8/64,1 66,3/65,7 64,6/45,9 66,5/64,9* 70,1/42,1 71,4/66,5*

vehicules im provem 72,2/68,6 72,4/70,9 69,7/50,2 70,9/68,7 71,4/45,6 72,5/68,8

education 65,9/69,2 65,3/68,0 66,l//75,9 65,0/63,4* 68,2/74,0 62,03/61,2*

se lf discipline 79,6/81,3 78,4/79,2 78,4/78,3 78,6/80,1 82,0/77,4 79,7/79,5

aw ereness 67,1/69,4 64,6/63,5 67,2/85,4 63,1/61,0* 61,5/83,8 62,8/58,4*

traffic lim itations 46,9/43,9 47,5/46,4 48,5/36,1 48,0/49,2 47,0/31,5 48,6/49,5*

Comments

- classical action : only the in terest o f a be tter aw areness it c lose to a significant level

- sim ulator o f alcoholem ia

- a low er range for road im provem ent and a h igher

- a h igher range for education and aw areness

- video analysis

- a h igher range for controls, education , aw areness, a low er range fo r road

im provem ent

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Discussion

Young boys and girls o f secundary schools have a rather good knowledge on traffic safety. They

clearly identify alcohol, speed and risk taking as main causes o f accidents but the over estimate

the role o f roads, vehicles and old drivers.They clearly recognize a place for schools in traffic

safety but whish to have external leaders associate with the teachers.

They dont think to have their opinion and behavior changed by classical prevention campaigns

( on the first evaluation). This last point is confirmed by the results o f the second evaluation

which does not show significant differences.

The group involved in more interactive action,more involving their creativity and personality

show some significant results with a better knowledge on the real causes o f accidents and a better

approach in appropriate measures to improve traffic safety.

This study bring us to believe that appropriate prevention campaigns must respect some essentiel

points :

- to associate the subjects in interactive actions

- to improve their role in traffic safety ( traffic managers)

- to associate school teachers and external leaders

- to be led as long term actions

- to be evaluated with specific tools.

They seem to need the discussion in this field, even if traffic safety is not their essential worry

( compared to ecology, AIDS, drug, war).

They mainly research less fatherly campaigns and want to be considered as partners. These results

are confirmed by those observed in the EC “YES” campaigns ( young drivers in search of

solutions) which clearly showed the same opinion in young boys and girls o f several european

countries.

These results confirm also the conclusions o f the conference o f European M inisters o f Tansport

(26-27 May 1994) on prevention campaigns.

“ The evaluation seems to be very poor or simply missing, the efficiency ( o f actions) is pratically

never evaluated. We actually use, more often methods bases on notoriety o f present satisfaction

of teachers, students or parents the evaluation supposes a better involvement o f searchers” .

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References

- Prevention actions against road accidents in middle and secundary schools of Rhone Alpes

Region.

C. MERCIER-GUYON -Report to the Regional Council Rhone Alpes CERM T, 1997

- Bilan annuel, statistiques et commentaires

Annee 1995, Observatoire interministeriel de la Securite Routiere

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J.P. ASSAILLY, Ed. Vigot, 1992

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crashes . Two years o f progress.

B.M. SWEEDLER. K.E. QUINLAN -Proceeding o f the 13th ICADTS, Adelaide 5005Australia

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Proceeding o f the 13th ICADTS, Ed. NHMRC University o f Adelaide 5005 Australia

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N.L. HAWORTH, L. BOW LAND, W. FODDY - Proceeding o f the 13th ICADTS,( Idem)

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J. COTTRAUX, M. BOUVARD, P. LEGERON - E.A.P. 1985

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S. DALLY - Ed. Sejourne- Robert 1991

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Rapport INRETS N° 173 et N° 189, 1994

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Observatoire regional des routes et de la securite routiere

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CAREPS, Rapport N° 64, Novembre 1994-Young Europeans in search o f solutions YES

PRI Workshop 15 January 1996 Ed. PRI 75 Rue de M amer B.P. 40 L - 8005 BERTRANGE

- CEMT, Conference o f European M inisters o f Transports

May 1994

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