Road traffic accidents have a high mortality rate and injuries worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that more than one million people lose their lives each year as a result of a traffic accident and is the ninth leading cause of human death. In addition, the majority of deaths are the weakest road users; pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of public transport. It should be noted that road accidents not only cause deaths, but also cause between 20 and 50 million injuries per year, many of which suffer from diseases of varying severity. In addition to the personal suffering caused by these episodes, material costs must be added at the individual and social level, since traffic accidents generate overloads and significant economic costs throughout the health system. Therefore, it is necessary to work in education on the deep development of Road Education to reduce and avoid these figures.

On the one hand, the objective of Road Education is to promote safe conduct in traffic, but without limiting the right to travel and to move. By promoting safe mobility. It is a lifelong learning process from Early Childhood Education to adulthood, which includes preventive strategies, preventive policies and legal traffic rules, through knowledge, skills, mobility habits, values and attitudes. The characteristics of the aforementioned Road Education in the educational system are given by municipal agents of the municipalities through specific courses. It focuses mainly on traffic rules, but at the end of the courses there is no longer permanent work in the classrooms, forgetting the concepts collected. Its effectiveness is therefore questionable.

On the other hand, the security-oriented educational approach neglects some important aspects of mobility and transport. Accessibility and sustainability of transport are among other issues of great importance. As motor travel becomes more and more frequent, education must promote a critical vision of transport and alternatives for the near future. Problems to be discussed include the consequences of the widespread use of motor vehicles and the individual and collective benefits of public transport. It should be highlighted that human actions on roads affect other living beings, so Road Education should guide students to solve problems of ethical and social relationship through the resolution of conflicts and conflicts, in order to guarantee coexistence in the public space.

In short, Child Road Education should tend to be formed in values that allow safer, responsible and sustainable transport. In fact, children are the most vulnerable in traffic, and in the development stage Road Education can be a fundamental tool to prevent risky behaviors and achieve healthier mobility habits. The key, therefore, is prevention and education, but we need to go further and go much further. It is not enough to carry out advertising campaigns in schools or to work simple workshops of a few hours taught by municipal officials of the municipalities. Road Education should be integrated into the curriculum and should be oriented towards critical thinking and responsible decision-making to ensure safety on roads, roads and streets.

Aritza Urrengoetxea Cordovilla, Professor