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Strategies for Life: Providing Youth with Lifesaving Road Safety Information

Author(s): Anne Marie Hayes

Slidedeck Presentation Only (no paper submitted):

1B Hayes_Strategies for Life Providing Youth with Lifesaving Road Safety Information

Abstract:

Teens and young adults are highly over-represented in traffic collisions as drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. This can be attributed, at least in part, to inexperience as drivers, a tendency to act impulsively and lack of awareness of road-related risks.

Data has shown that targeted road safety education can be effective in helping youth make better decisions when they drive, ride as passengers or share the road as pedestrians. Teens Learn to Drive, in partnership with The Ontario Ministry of Transportation and other private and corporate partners, conducted the pilot of an innovative road safety event in 4 high schools. It engaged grade 10 and 11 students in highly interactive activities that focused on the top safety issues and helped youth discover workable strategies to counteract each danger.

In small groups, students visited 10 stations. Each station delivered key messages about one of the following topics:

  1. Distracted Driving
  2. Passenger Restraints
  3. Drowsy Driving
  4. Impaired Driving
  5. Interacting with Trucks
  6. Speaking Up as a Passenger
  7. Pedestrian Visibility
  8. Planning Ahead to avoid Speeding and Taking Unnecessary Risks
  9. Vehicle Safety
  10. Graduated Driver Licensing

It was found that using proven methods such as interactive demonstrations, peer theatre and role plays in a small group environment was an effective way to raise awareness of risks and provide protective strategies.