20 September, 2018, Curitiba, Brazil – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Curitiba (CIFAL Curitiba) jointly with the Federation of Industries of the State of Parana (FIEP) System and Ecovia hosted the sixth edition of the Conference on Transit and Transformation, bringing together approximately 200 participants from the public and private sectors.
The main objective of this Conference was the promotion of road safety education. The Conference featured a panel of experts on road safety to promote a dialogue on responsible citizens, best practices that improve road safety and safer transit systems. The panel was comprised of representatives from the public and private sector, including TRAFPOL-IRSA -a Spanish organization dedicated to raising awareness about road safety from the police perspective
Another key topic covered in the Conference was fatalities and injuries on the way to work as a consequence of road traffic crashes. Mr. Silvio Luiz da Silva, Corporate Technician in Occupational Health and Safety at Leão Alimentos e Bebidas, shared his experience working on a program to reduce road traffic crashes based on a behavioral approach. According to Mr. da Silva, changing peoples’ perception about road safety is fundamental for changing peoples’ traffic behavior.
Finally, speakers expressed the importance of educational campaigns as a tool for transforming citizens' behavior. In fact, campaigns have a major transformation impact when they are delivered efficiently and when they reach a specific audience.
The VI Conference on Transit and Transformation also served as a venue where other road safety related activities took place. In this framework, the “II Idea Fair” took place, bringing together students with diverse academic backgrounds to propose innovative ideas that can enhance road safety in Brazil. Winners of the best academic proposals were: “Horizontal warning signs for drivers on Brazilian Highways” and “A city for pedestrians”, both from the Federal University of Parana.
Photo 1: Speakers talking about road safety in Brazil
Photo 2: Students during the “II Idea Fair”