The problem

In 2021, in the Province of Latina, there were 1,513 road accidents resulting in 53 deaths and 2,269 injuries — an absolute increase compared to the previous year.

Among the measures to be taken to reduce road accidents, road safety education is playing an increasingly prominent role at both the European and national levels. In many European countries, road safety education starts as early as kindergarten and continues through post-driver’s license age, aiming at the progressive acquisition of skills through age-appropriate programs. These programs foster the development of positive attitudes and behaviors that prioritize the road safety of all users.

The Municipality of Minturno has long recognized the emergency related to road traffic and, for this reason, has launched a robust campaign to mitigate risks on local roads and promote a culture of road safety among all residents. To this end, the municipality planned a training initiative targeting primary and lower secondary school students, as well as professionals involved in decision-making and governance processes related to road safety. The goal is to improve the capacity for analysis, planning, and programming of policies and actions to be implemented across the municipal area in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Our approach

The training activities in primary and lower secondary schools followed these steps:

1. Literature review and analysis of international research on teaching methods and road safety topics for young people, to identify the key components of the training plan.
2. Development of training modules and interactive tests.
3. Organization of three workshops in major school institutions.
4. Creation of an online platform to digitize and make available all developed materials.

The training activities targeting municipal technicians and the Local Police included the following phases:

1. Training course for technicians and police officers focused on regulations, safety aspects, accident analysis, and planning of interventions for at-risk user groups.
2. On-field training for technicians involving identification and analysis of critical sites (using Safety Audit and Safety Inspection techniques).