GUARDS, SECURITY AND TRAFFIC EDUCATION (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The study sought to analyze what guards think about the education and safety of the most vulnerable non-motorized (NMV) in urban traffic. We focused attention on statements about different aspects of their professional practice and proposals to work around their problems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 traffic guards working on Ilha do Governador/RJ. Data were predominantly interpreted under a qualitative approach with the aid of statistical analysis through the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The results suggest that, in general, the interviewees' concern with NMV safety and with traffic education is independent of their professional experience and, on the contrary, is decisively influenced by education. We found that Traffic Guard training is oriented towards technical dimensions and has limitations with regard to responsibility for the social and human dimensions of their work. Guards do not clearly perceive their importance in promoting education and traffic safety, in a democratic and humanizing perspective, opposing what the Professional Training Course of the Traffic Guard of that city proclaims. From the results, suggestions are presented that refer to the reorientation of the professional training of this guard, the first condition for his appreciation, which will certainly be reflected in the better quality of his work in meeting the real needs of all users of the transit system, broadly and unrestricted.