Evaluation of the elective subject traffic

The elective subject traffic got its own curriculum in 2013 and has since been offered to lower secondary schools across the country. Each year, approx. 5% of the students enroll, many with the aim of obtaining the basic traffic course. The Norwegian Council for Road Safety (Trygg Trafikk) wanted to investigate how the intention of the elective subject is implemented in practice. To investigate this, we have used three data sources. The answers suggest that the elective traffic is positively regarded. Most students report that they are looking forward to the elective, and this is supported by the teachers reporting that the students are motivated and enjoy the subject. Attitudes towards road safety seems to be improved by the teaching in the elective subject traffic. There are no differences in attitudes of novice moped and light motor cycle drivers between those who took the basic traffic course in elementary school through the elective traffic and those who took this at a traffic school. Nearly all students say that the possibility to take the basic traffic course was an important reason for choosing traffic as elective subject. The subject contains many elements considered in The Norwegian Council for Road Safety’s model for behaviour modification, documented to being able to influence behaviour. Both teachers and students say that the students are becoming safer in traffic through the education in the elective subject traffic.