Traffic helper
In Germany, traffic assistants are citizens who usually volunteer to help road users in certain traffic situations. They do not perform any official tasks, so they are not allowed to block or regulate traffic . They are incorporated into the StVO § 42 ( directional sign ) by the traffic sign 356 with an identical designation .
The predecessor, the traffic sign " Schülerlotse " with the same ordinal number, was renamed to "Verkehrshelfer", as it is the legal basis in Germany for a greater variety of committed helpers in road traffic. In addition to helping schoolchildren to cross the lane (the "classic" school pilots), traffic aids are also used at major events to guide them to parking spaces or to provide information about diversions.
history
The road helpers have their origins in Switzerland. There they are called traffic cadets . The Swiss cadets were initially soldiers who were used to control traffic at intersections. The Swiss Association of Traffic Cadets is now taking over this function .
In Germany, the student pilot service was founded on January 14, 1953 by the then Federal Transport Minister Hans-Christoph Seebohm . The traffic cadets have existed in Germany since 1972. Both groups were included in the Road Traffic Regulations in 1992 under the name "Verkehrshelfer" .
Areas of application
The definition of tasks for "road helpers" has steadily expanded over time. Their use has proven itself in a variety of situations:
Use on the way to school
School helpers, school bus guides and school bus attendants, colloquially known as "school guides", ensure traffic primarily for school-age children. They are particularly important during the school rush hour . As a rule, these are older students who secure the way to school for their younger and inexperienced classmates in dangerous places and help them across the street without accidents. But parents, older siblings or other adults also take on the task. Around 50,000 school guides are in use nationwide. School bus pilots, in turn, support safe transport by school bus. They ensure safety at the stops by securing the waiting area from the road. They help with getting in and out and make sure that the students behave considerately while driving. Interested pupils can register from the age of 13 and the 7th grade for the training to become a school or bus pilot. In Brandenburg it can even be taken from the age of 11 and in Berlin from the 5th grade. The training is taken over by the police and financially supported by the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). The further development of the training concept and the equipping of the “school pilots” with their uniforms is the responsibility of the German Traffic Guard.
A special way to get to school is the Pedibus campaign , which has already been established in several countries on the initiative of parents , in which committed adults at the start of school, especially school beginners, guide small groups from a safe assembly point on the last stretch of the way to the school premises.
Use in the context of the school rush hour
The problem of school rush hour , which leads to numerous accidents, especially at the beginning of school, forces many schools to take the measure of using voluntary traffic assistants to protect children in the particularly dangerous area around schools and kindergartens at peak times.
Use at major events
Traffic assistants can also be used at major events on the instructions of the traffic watch, the regulatory authorities or the police in order to secure road traffic around the event site and to guide them with special permission. These road helpers are known as "traffic cadets" and are at least 14 years old. They have to go through additional training, with special training in dealing with road users. Around 700 young people are currently active as traffic cadets. Traffic cadets are not yet nationwide. The "Working Group for the Promotion of Youth Work in the Deutsche Verkehrswacht eV" was set up on the board of the German Traffic Guard, which among other things supports the dissemination of the traffic cadet idea.
Use in traffic education
Road assistants also play an important role in the training of young road users: when acquiring the pedestrian diploma , suitable older students, but also interested parents, are given responsibility as so-called “guardian angels” after a pedagogical instruction for a child entrusted to them and their safety. This mentoring is done on a voluntary basis without any material remuneration.
literature
- Peter Hentschel: Road Traffic Law. Commentary , 41st edition, Munich 2011, publisher: CH Beck Munich, ISBN 978-3-406-60991-6
- Roland Schurig: StVO - Comment on the road traffic regulations with VwV-StVO . 13th edition. Kirschbaum Verlag, Bonn 2009, ISBN 978-3-7812-1641-9
- Siegbert A. Warwitz: Children in the problem area of school rush hour . In: Case-Word-Number 86 (2007) pages 52-60
- Siegbert A. Warwitz: Traffic education from the child. Perceive-play-think-act . Baltmannsweiler. 6th edition 2009. ISBN 978-3-8340-0563-2
Web link
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ch. Lüthi, "Kadetten", Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
- ↑ Press release of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht for the 60th birthday of the German student pilot service
- ↑ StVO §42 and directional sign 356
- ^ Website of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht: Buslotsen , accessed on February 5, 2014.
- ^ Website of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht: Schülerlotsen , accessed on February 5, 2014.
- ↑ NZZ Online, article accompanying children to school on foot instead of by car from October 15, 2009
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: Children in the problem field of school rush hour . In: Thing-Word-Number 86 (2007) 52-60
- ↑ Website of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht: Verkehrskadetten ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 5, 2014.
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: The 'Pedestrian Diploma' project . In the S. Traffic education from the child . Baltmannsweiler 6th edition 2009. Pages 221-251
