Road Safety Education
Children are the traffic users most at risk of accidents. The Lugano City Police carries out intensive traffic education in schools so that the youngest children, and with them adults, can on the one hand learn and practice correct and safe behavior, and on the other recognize and avoid dangers.
Police Activities
The activities of the traffic educators of the Lugano City Police are divided into two phases, for both preschools and primary schools:
- theoretical lessons (one hour per year per class)
- practical lessons in the Traffic Garden (one hour per year per class), at the Gerra schools
In preschools, the classroom lesson is conducted with the help of a road mat. Educators explain proper road behavior and the rules for jaywalking.
In primary schools, theoretical lessons are based on knowledge of road rules and signage to learn how to behave on the road, both as a pedestrian and as a cyclist. There is also an outdoor phase with jaywalking.
After the theoretical lessons are over, the children practice what they have learned at the Traffic Garden.
Home-School Route: Wheels Stopped, Kids Safe
With the start of the school year, the prevention campaign instituted by TCS - Touring Club Switzerland, in collaboration with UPI - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, called Wheels Stopped, Kids Safe, is regularly promoted: schoolchildren learn to cross the street only when the wheels of vehicles are completely stopped.
Patroller Training
At school sites that request it, traffic educators from the Lugano City Police Department train fifth graders as patrollers. Children who serve as patrollers help make it safer for younger classmates to cross at crosswalks before and after classes begin.
Merlo Bianco
Every two years, road safety educators participate in the Merlo Bianco (White Blackbird) action, promoted by the ACS - Automobile Club of Switzerland, to teach fourth and fifth-grade children, through educational and practical programs, to better assess the dangers and risks of the road, so they can manage or avoid them.
The work of prevention
Through the theoretical and practical lessons conducted in schools, almost 4,000 students from over 20 school sites in the City of Lugano are educated annually.
For road safety education activities, the City of Lugano collaborates with:
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.