Škoda Encourages Family Learning with ‘Road Sharing'

Cycling has been experiencing exponential growth for several years in France. In 2022, more than one in two French people reported having cycled at least once during the year. Encouraged during the covid crisis, cycling has become an essential part of the daily and leisure trips of the French, with over 17 million bicycles sold since 2017.

Cyclists of all ages are increasingly crisscrossing French roads, whether in cities or rural areas. Unfortunately, this phenomenon goes hand in hand with an increase in accidents (nearly 3,000 in 2022), most of which involve cyclists and motorists. Despite the creation of more and more dedicated infrastructures, the coexistence between these different road users remains difficult. Behaviours must evolve towards an understanding of shared roadways. Actions are thus emerging to address this problem, such as work on driving schools and the creation of practical manuals to teach coexistence. This evolution in mentalities is progressing slowly.

This is why Škoda, a car manufacturer and partner of all cyclists, has decided to promote road sharing. The starting point for the Czech manufacturer: if the coexistence between motorists and cyclists is acquired from a young age, it will then become more natural. Moreover, Škoda is resolutely family-oriented, so it was natural to target children to encourage family learning.

The brand has decided to repurpose the most popular car play mat among children to make it a unique educational tool: the first mat promoting road sharing, with roads for cars but also bike lanes and facilities for cyclists. The "Roads for all" game box, developed in partnership with the French Cycling Federation, includes the mat, a toy car, a toy bike, and a booklet for family reading that reminds everyone of good road behaviours.

The goal: to take advantage of this unique moment of play to educate children about road sharing from a young age while also raising awareness among parents. The box will be available on June 5. The first 400 copies can be won on the skoda.fr website. The mat will also be present in all dealerships in France.

As a partner of all cyclists, Škoda is committed to promoting road sharing sustainably.