Introduction and purpose
In Japan, traffic safety education is implemented across a wide range of educational institutions beginning in early childhood. However, this education typically involves one-way knowledge transfer to students, lacking opportunities for them to think critically and develop an independent understanding. Consequently, traffic safety education may not be adequately internalized or applied in practice. Therefore, this study aimed to explore adults' retention of traffic safety education received during their formative years.
Method
The participants included 30 licensed drivers (Mage = 26 years, SD = 2.62). Semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 15 min were conducted regarding traffic safety education received from kindergartens through universities, excluding driver's license training.
Results
Although all participants had attended traffic safety classes in elementary and junior high school, most recalled experiences from elementary school. Specific memories included police officers demonstrating proper crossing techniques, bicycle safety training, and collision demonstrations by stunt performers. Factors contributing to safety education retention included "admiration for police officers," "dramatic impact of stunt performers' demonstrations," "occurrence around the time of a student's fatal traffic accident at their school," and "having attended the course immediately before transferring schools."
Conclusion
Although all participants had received traffic safety education at least once, memorable details were associated with either the emotional impact of the content or connections to significant personal events. Moreover, many participants could not recall specific content despite having attended such programs, suggesting that the current traffic safety education may have limited long-term effectiveness.