There are almost eight billion people in the world, and more than five billion of them are involved in road traffic in very different ways every day: on foot, on a bike, in a car, bus or truck – whether as a driver, co-driver or passenger. Children between the ages of six and ten are a group that should not be neglected. As they get older, they are more likely to take to the roads alone, which is why it is important to make them aware of the challenges of road traffic.
Projects around the globe
The children become active road users, for example to get to school, to see friends or to attend sports training. But unlike teenagers and adults, who usually have years of experience under their belt, novice road users constantly encounter situations that are unfamiliar to them. It is therefore essential to make this age group fit to take part in road traffic.
How do you cross a road correctly? How do you master a bus trip without making any mistakes? Where do dangers lurk in the dark and how can they be prevented? In order to provide answers to these and many other questions, Daimler, as the inventor of the automobile, launched the MobileKids road safety initiative in September 2001. Under the motto "Road safety first – for young and old alike", the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer – with the active support of MobileKids mascot Moki – has focussed on risk prevention for children ever since.
With projects around the globe, the company is committed to preparing children for the many challenges posed by road traffic in an entertaining and exciting way, and to showing them how to recognize possible dangers at an early stage and avoid them through careful behaviour.
And it is not only children who are offered content specifically tailored to them. The aim is also to support parents and teachers in teaching the young about road traffic, and thus provide even better protection. The support provided by this traffic safety initiative ranges from free teaching materials which are free from advertising to colourful stories, videos for different age groups and a wide range of online content.
Learning material developed by experts
The educational material is particularly important: this material consisting of four learning modules in two languages (German and English) and six German-language teaching modules was developed in collaboration with the University of Koblenz-Landau and Klett Mex GmbH for teachers to use in conjunction with their road safety classes. In addition, numerous colourful explanatory videos, a wide range of worksheets, PDF handouts and two online training courses can be found on the initiative's website.
Since the programme began over 20 years ago, Mercedes-Benz has reached more than three million children all over the world with its safety material, and amply demonstrated that Moki and his messages are well received everywhere. Whether in China, the USA, Malaysia, Mexico or Switzerland – road safety education is relevant everywhere.