The effect of a road safety educational program for kindergarten children on their parents’ behavior and knowledge

•This study presents a unique road safety program for kindergarten children.•We tested the effect of the program on parents’ behavior and knowledge.•The study’s method was based on self-reported questionnaire.•The program affected parents’ safe behavior and awareness of child road safety.•No effect on parents’ knowledge of child road safety law and recommendations.

Road safety education for children is one of the most important means for raising awareness of road safety and for educating children to behave safely as pedestrians, bicycle riders, and vehicle passengers. The current research presents a novel attempt to examine the effect of a unique road safety educational program for kindergarten children on a secondary target group—the parents. The program, named the “Zahav Bagan” program (ZBP), is presented at kindergartens once a week during the entire academic year. It is conducted by senior citizen volunteers and is part of the formal education of the children.The main purpose of the current study was to compare the behavior, awareness, and knowledge about child road safety, of two groups of parents—those whose children participated in the ZBP group, and those whose children did not; this latter group was the control group. A telephone-based survey was conducted using a sample of 76 ZBP parents and 59 control group parents. Results of the survey showed no effect of ZBP on parents' knowledge of child road safety law and recommendations, but more importantly, the results did show a significant effect in terms of parents’ observance of safe behavior and in their awareness of road safety in everyday life. These results confirm the importance of educational programs on road safety, especially as triggers and reminders to children and to their parents, to act as cautious road users.