The project “Open your eyes” wants to make aware of concerns in the sensitive school environment and on ways to school, and help cities and communities improve their road safety in school environment. Therefore, a sensitisation of adults and particularly parents for their children’s perceptions as well as a teaching of basic knowledge regarding field of vision research, the perception and behaviour of children, are important. As to the integration of schools, a network of pedagogues has been formed and research-based support is provided in road safety education.

In order to make the children’s perspective of their way to school visible for adults, the Austrian Institute of Media Economics is to record the children’s eye flow on their way to school instrumentally via a mobile eye tracking device. Particularly with regard to children, whose competence to verbalize and reflect about experienced situations is not yet fully developed, new knowledge can be gained through instrumental observation of their eye flow.

Subsequently, pupils are taught the basics of vision field research in their lessons to sensitise them for the perception of others.  

Project steps are documented and opened to the public. Moreover, the Austrian Institute of Media Economics is to hold media workshops at schools and together with pupils it is to publish important results in digital media.  

By means of video material based on instrumental recordings as well as of publications adults and parents or pedagogues are to be sensitised for their children’s ‘perspectives’ on their way to school.