To further enhance the quality and effectiveness of traffic safety promotion for the “elderly and children” demographic, increase the enthusiasm of seniors to actively engage in traffic safety, and cultivate children’s awareness of safe participation in traffic.Recently, the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau’s Traffic Police Brigade in Gongshu District, Zhejiang Province, has deeply collaborated with the “Safe Path” community group from Zhejiang Police Academy, breaking through the traditional model of “traffic police performing solo” and “lecture-based education”. They have adopted a new model of community embedded traffic safety promotion co-created by participants from the post-00s to the post-60s, conducting themed promotional activities that received unanimous praise from residents.
Achieving Traffic Safety Promotion that is “Visible to All”
This event relied on community venues and adopted a co-creation model involving seniors, traffic police, and student police, fully unleashing the vitality and capabilities of the elderly group, allowing them to take center stage as the main promoters of traffic safety. Over three months, the traffic police from Gongshu Brigade, student police from the Traffic Management Engineering Department of Zhejiang Police Academy, and the aunties from the Danfeng Dance Troupe in Yingjiaqiao Community collaboratively created a traffic safety-themed song and dance titled “Civilized Crossing, Safe Journey”. The dance troupe’s aunties even passionately performed the rap part of the song in Hangzhou dialect: “Red light stop, green light stop; at the zebra crossing, do not rush, confirm safety before proceeding”… This intergenerational co-creation sparked unique interactions from the post-60s to the post-00s.
The song and dance performance served as the opening act, instantly elevating the event’s atmosphere and attracting the attention of many seniors nearby, who then participated in the activities. The multi-party governance allowed traffic safety promotion to be embedded in the community, achieving traffic safety promotion that is “visible to all”.
Discussing Traffic Safety Promotion that is “Life-Related”
This event saw the Gongshu Brigade break through the traditional “preaching” method of safety promotion, collaborating with the Gongshu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Provincial Police Academy, and the community dance troupe to create a traffic safety-themed market as a promotional method. The market was designed around daily travel risk points, integrating elements of injury prevention and scientific fitness, and featured a series of traffic safety-themed booths designed in a playful manner—such as “Lucky Helmet with You”, “Chicken into the Cage—Zebra Crossing Challenge”, and “Catch Safety—Traffic-themed Ring Toss Competition”. Through an entertaining and educational approach, traffic safety was conveyed, significantly enhancing seniors’ enthusiasm for participation.
The integration of life—health—traffic not only increased seniors’ enthusiasm for safe participation in traffic but also met their social, health, and social recognition needs, embedding traffic safety into the elderly community, discussing traffic safety promotion that is “life-related”.
Persisting in Traffic Safety Promotion that is “Daily-Visible”
As the leader of the Danfeng Dance Troupe, Auntie Shen Danfeng, said to the Gongshu Brigade traffic police:“These past few months have been very enjoyable! Are you welcoming us to join your team? We want to come back for the next event!”
The preparation process of this event realized the possibility of traffic police stepping back to the “behind the scenes”, allowing the elderly group to take center stage in traffic safety promotion—making seniors the communicators of their own traffic safety; the process of this event provided the possibility for multi-party, high-frequency embedding of traffic safety promotion in the community—making seniors the guardians of their own traffic safety.
Source:Hangzhou Traffic Police
Reviewed by:Li Xiujun / Li Jiaxin
Edited by:Pan Nairui— Submission Email —[email protected] [email protected]
