Road traffic accidents are the primary cause of injuries and fatalities among children. The current study focuses on children’s (un)safe crossing behaviour in a real traffic situation accompanied by an adult at a crosswalk in front of their school. The study aims to investigate if there are differences in crossing behaviour related to road infrastructure (i.e., one-way and two-way street, elevated and non-elevated street crossing), the gender of the child, and the effect of the accompanying adult’s behaviour on the child’s crossing behaviour. Primary school children from two urban schools in Flanders (Belgium) were observed for three days while crossing the street in front of their school in the morning and afternoon. A total of 241 child–adult pairs were observed. Descriptive analysis, Pearson chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression models were used to find differences between groups. More than half of the crossings exhibited two or more unsafe behaviours. Not stopping at the curb before crossing was the most unsafe behaviour, exhibited by 47.7% of children; not looking for oncoming traffic before and during the crossing was the second most unsafe behaviour, exhibited by 39.4% of the children. The only difference between boys’ and girls’ crossing behaviour was in stopping at the curb with girls 1.901 times more likely to stop before crossing as compared to boys. Adults holding hands of the child resulted in safer behaviours by children. The children not holding hands displayed significantly riskier behaviour in running or hopping while crossing the street and being distracted. The study reinforces the need to improve the transportation system through infrastructural interventions (elevated crosswalks), as well as educating and training children and the parents on safe crossing behaviour in traffic.

Road safety education has been recognized as an instrument for reducing road accidents. This study aims to evaluate the road safety education program “Traffic Weeks” among higher secondary school students (age 16–19) in Belgium. The program focuses on driving under influence (DUI) and traffic risks. This study investigates whether the program has an effect on socio-cognitive variables using a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior. During the pre-test, 445 students filled in the questionnaire, while 253 students filled in the questionnaire during the post-test. Of these, 175 questionnaires could be matched. The results indicate that the students already had quite a supportive view of road safety at pre-test, with female students showing a more supportive view of road safety than male students. The DUI workshop had a positive effect on most socio-cognitive variables (attitude, subjective norm-friends, and intention) of female students in general education, while the traffic risks workshop only affected perceived behavioral control of female students. In terms of appreciation, students had a significantly higher appreciation of the DUI workshop compared to the traffic risks workshop. During the focus groups, students gave recommendations to improve the program.

Speeding is one of the leading risk factors in road safety. Not only is it one of the leading causes of accidents, but it also has an extensive effect on the impact and consequences of accidents. This is especially the case for trucks, where the enforced speed limit is often dependent on local legislation and context rather than speed limit traffic signs. This study is part of the greater i-DREAMS project and aims to explore the effectiveness of an intelligent speed assistance system for truck drivers on different road types. To achieve this, a simulator experiment was performed with 34 professional truck drivers in Belgium. Participants first made a baseline drive, followed by two more drives, where they received visual information about the enforced speed limit but also visual and auditory warnings when exceeding the speed limit. The drives included different road environments with different speed limits. The results reveal a significant reduction in relevant parameters (i.e., average speed, minimum speed, maximum speed, and percentage of distance above the speed limit) when drivers received information and warnings about speeding while driving on a rural 1 × 1 road with a speed limit of 70 km/h (60 km/h for trucks). Further research is needed to validate this effect on other road types and under more-challenging conditions.

Road traffic accidents are a leading cause of injury and death among adolescents, making road safety education crucial. This study assesses the performance of and users’ opinions on the Route 2 School (R2S) traffic safety education program, designed for secondary school students (13–17 years) in Belgium. The program incorporates gamified e-learning modules containing, among others, podcasts, interactive 360° visuals, and virtual reality (VR), to enhance traffic knowledge, situation awareness, risk detection, and risk management. This study was conducted across several cities and municipalities within Belgium. More than 600 students from school years 3 to 6 completed the platform and of these more than 200 students filled in a comprehensive questionnaire providing detailed feedback on platform usability, preferences, and behavioral risk assessments. The results revealed shortcomings in traffic knowledge and skills, particularly among older students. Gender-based analysis indicated no significant performance differences overall, though females performed better in risk management and males in risk detection. Furthermore, students from cities outperformed those from municipalities. Feedback on the R2S platform indicated high usability and engagement, with VR-based simulations receiving the most positive reception. In addition, it was highlighted that secondary school students are high-risk groups for distraction and red-light violations as cyclists and pedestrians. This study demonstrates the importance of gamified, technology-enhanced road safety education while underscoring the need for module-specific improvements and regional customization. The findings support the broader application of e-learning methodologies for sustainable, behavior-oriented traffic safety education targeting adolescents.