Warn alert: Lack of airbags in our students' transportation for the upcoming school year in 2025/26!
In the city of Dortmund, the police are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of children on the roads. The "Caution! Our kids have no airbag!" initiative, launched in collaboration with Radio 91.2, Sparkasse Dortmund, and the Dortmund Police, is a preventive measure aimed at reducing road traffic accidents involving children.
The campaign focuses on educational and awareness-raising efforts, emphasizing the increased risks children face due to their vulnerability as pedestrians and participants in road traffic. Posters, available for free at police stations in Dortmund and Lünen, serve as a warning on private property, drawing attention to the dangers for children in road traffic.
Elementary school children and grade 5 students in Dortmund benefit from offers such as traffic puppet theater performances and cycling training from the traffic accident prevention of the Dortmund police presidency. Kindergarten children receive traffic safety lessons from the district services of the police stations.
For teenagers and young adults, the Crash Course NRW offers a more mature approach, instilling lasting caution through reports from accident victims. The Dortmund police are pursuing the "Vision Zero" goal, which aims to eliminate all road accidents.
The police in Dortmund use preventive concepts in addition to repressive measures to ensure road safety. The number of school route accidents in the area of responsibility of the Dortmund police has decreased from seven in the 2023/24 school year to four in the 2024/25 school year, a promising sign of the campaign's effectiveness.
Citizens can pick up free, weatherproof posters for the campaign at police stations, the police presidency, or Radio 91.2 in the city center. Addresses of the stations of the Dortmund police presidency can be found online. The motto for 2021 in Dortmund and Lünen is "Caution! Our kids have no airbag!", a reminder for all road users to be extra vigilant and careful when children are present.
The Dortmund police's efforts underline their commitment to protecting vulnerable road users, especially children, and contributing to a safer city for everyone.
Science plays a crucial role in the ongoing traffic safety initiatives, as data from health-and-wellness studies reveal the impact of road accidents on children's overall wellbeing.
To enhance education-and-self-development, the Dortmund police also provide crash course programs for teenagers and young adults, featuring accounts from accident victims, aimed at instilling lifelong caution on the roads.
