The Children of Kumnarae Daycare Center, Wanju, Jeonbuk, Meet Robocar Poli

2016.12.20 14:40:19 No. 15790

Over the past three years, there have been 30,000 traffic accidents involving children, claiming the lives of 200 children. The news of such accidents in relation to children always makes our hearts heavy, as the children are the future of the country. In order to ensure that children are not exposed to such risks and help them grow up safely and happily, it is necessary to establish a sound traffic culture through continued traffic safety education. Hyundai Motors has been engaged in various projects to establish the traffic safety culture for the children, with a heart of a mother.

The “Traffic Safety Class with Robocar Poli” has become popular since 2013 because of the use of familiar characters. And, in 2014, the “Robocar Poli Children’s Traffic Safety Park” opened to contribute to the traffic safety of children. In 2016, the company opened a new chapter in children’s traffic safety education by launching the “Traffic Safety Experience Center on Wheels.” Starting from this September, the Traffic Safety Education Tour program was commenced, whereby traffic safety courses are brought to the neighborhoods of the children who need traffic safety education. The sight of Robocar Poli visiting their daycare center and giving the traffic safety classes caused laughter among the children. Now, let’s see the sight of happiness.

Hyundai Motors Traffic Safety Classes, Continuing the Efforts until “No Child Gets Hurt on the Road”

On November 8, Kumnarae Daycare Center in Wanju, Jeonbuk, was full of the innocent laughter of children from early in the morning. This is the first place where the "Traffic Safety Education Tour” of Hyundai Motors would take place. The children were not the only ones who were waiting for the Traffic Safety Education Tour with Robocar Poli. The place is surrounded by a beautiful landscape. But, due to the distance from the downtown area, the children had less than desirable access to traffic safety education. Hyundai Motors, after being informed of the situation of the daycare center, visited Wanju along with Robocar Poli to meet the children.

In the classroom, they were greeted by the children who are obviously excited. The children were very excited about meeting Robocar Poli in their daycare center. And, they are obviously using extra care in coloring the class material. Jimin (7) who was coloring one of his favorite characters, Heli, smiled and said, “Everyone in the seven-year-old class loves Robocar Poli.”

The children were not the only ones who were waiting for the Traffic Safety Education Tour with Robocar Poli. Ms. Saerom Kim, who applied for this Traffic Safety Education Tour herself, was delighted as much as the children when she heard her institution was selected for the program. Many of the children have parents who are both working. And, the neighborhood is not an easy place to find facilities where children can play, such as a Kids’ Cafe. The news of Poli visiting the daycare center was truly good news for everyone.

Hyundai Motors’ Traffic Safety Animation Gets Even More Interesting Than the TV when Watched with Poli

Soon afterwards, the children from four to seven-year-old classes got together to receive the Traffic Safety Education with Poli. First, the children were introduced to the teachers from the Citizens’ Association of Traffic Safety, who were to give them the lecture on traffic safety. The children greeted the teachers with loud voices and polite bows. After the introduction, the traffic safety classes began in earnest. The Traffic Safety Education of Hyundai Motors was composed of watching animation video clips on traffic safety featuring Robocar Poli to learn about the basic traffic safety instructions, which were followed by experiential activities such as role-play.

“First, stop! Second, look! Third, cross!
The children’s eyes were fixed on the screen when they saw their heroes, Robocar Poli and his friends, in the traffic safety animation. They were totally focused on Poli’s heroic acts as he saved his friends and prevented traffic accidents while obeying traffic safety rules. The children chanted the ‘three steps of crossing the street’ loudly after Poli. In addition, there were video clips on riding a bicycle safely, finding out the right bicycle for a child, and the basic procedure of inspecting a bicycle. Geon, one of the children in the seven-year-old class, was fixated on the video so much and made everyone laugh when he said “When I go Home, I will tell my mom and dad about the principles of crossing the street and make sure they follow them.”

Experiential Traffic Safety Education of Hyundai Motors Optimized for Children

After the animation, the living room of the daycare center became a miniature crossroad, with a mini signal lamp and traffic signs. And, the children suddenly transformed themselves into Robocar Poli and his friends using the pictures they painted in advance. This was for them to try out what they had learned from the video clips themselves. Some children stepped forward to assume the roles of the characters in the role-play, namely Poli, Amber, Heli, and Roy.

“Second, look!” “What do you do after looking both ways?” “Make eye contact with the driver!” As their friends gave a demonstration of crossing the street, the children answered the questions of their teachers in loud voices. Even after watching the video clips to learn the instructions, they are prone to forget the safety rules when they become distracted or disorientated. Therefore, it is important to learn the principles by heart, through repeated role-plays where they changed their roles into vehicles or pedestrians. At first, some of the children forgot to raise their hands or check both directions for traffic. But, as they repeated the role-plays, they mastered the drills for crossing the street safely.

The next session was on how to wear the personal safety gear for riding a bicycle properly. The children love riding a bicycle. But, the parents are always worried because the streets can be dangerous for them. Many of the children of Kumnarae daycare center answered that they loved riding a bicycle. The teachers emphasized that, in order to enjoy riding safely, it is important to wear the personal safety gear.

“Is he wearing the helmet properly?” “The strap is loose!”
When the teachers called for a volunteer for the demonstration of wearing the safety gear, Taeheon Kim, a child in the seven-year-old class, raised his hand. The teacher demonstrated how to wear the safety gear with Taeheon and explained how to wear the gear properly. When the teacher was giving explanations on why and how to wear helmets, the children gave their answers, which were remarkably correct. The chin strap has to be tightened, and when getting on a bicycle, the two feet have to be able to touch the ground so that they can be used as a brake. The children practiced these principles after watching the demonstration of the teachers. It looks certain that they will remember these instructions whenever they get on their bicycles.

The following session was a quiz program on traffic safety. The children were to answer the questions given by the teachers. If all the children gave the right answer, the children were told, Robocar Poli would be visiting them. Some of the children were wide-eyed when they heard that.

“You are crossing the street in a bicycle. Is this correct or wrong?” “Wrong!”
The questions were to ensure that the children remembered the instructions they were given on that day. There was a lovely moment when the children in the seven-year-old classes informed the younger children of the correct answers. The children of Kumnarae Daycare Center were able to solve all the quiz questions correctly, as they helped one another. After getting perfect marks for their quiz, now it was time for them to meet Robocar Poli.

The children held their breath in expectation, and finally, Robocar Poli revealed himself to the children. The children waved their hands and greeted their hero. It was the highlight of the traffic safety class when the children were introduced to the popular character. As many of the parents in the neighborhood are both working, the children have relatively less opportunities to enjoy events for children. For this reason, it was an even more special gift for the children of Kumnarae Daycare Center. Representing the children of the daycare center who received the education enthusiastically, Taeheon and Hobin were given the Children’s Traffic Safety Education Certificates. Robocar Poli could not leave the scene for a long time after the certificate awarding ceremony, as they were the heroes of the children.