The Netherlands: (Re)learning to Avoid Blind Spots

Which country?

The Netherlands.

 

Who for?

Young people in the Netherlands aged 10 to 14 and their parents.

 

Which action?

Since 2019, we have supported the Dutch Road Safety Association in its initiatives to raise awareness about blind spots, an extremely important topic for both children and adults alike. The association has implemented two learning tools to help people avoid these potentially fatal accidents:

• A book called “Escape From the Blind Spot”, which has been distributed to more than 1,000 school libraries throughout the country. The book is about a young boy involved in an accident when he finds himself in the blind spot of a truck.
• Development of an augmented reality app to show how blind spots are formed. The app is aimed at children but also their parents to refresh their knowledge and help them prepare their kids to be independent, responsible road users.

 

What impacts?

In 2017 in the Netherlands, 20 cyclists lost their lives and 140 were hospitalized because of blind spot accidents¹.  Research by the Dutch Road Safety Association shows that adults know what a blind spot is but are unable to identify one.

Deployed in 1,000 schools, the initiatives run by the Dutch Road Safety Association and TotalEnergies aim to train and educate young people in the Netherlands, who are currently among the most vulnerable pedestrians. 

¹VeiligheidNL, the Dutch safety center of expertise.