New road safety program to begin in high schools

Dec 06, 2004

The first comprehensive road safety education resource in NSW targeting students in Years 7 and 8 was launched by the Minister for Roads, Carl Scully, in April this year and will now start being used in high schools around the state.

The CD ROM/video and teaching manual has been developed by the University of Wollongong's emlab (educational media laboratory) for the Roads and Traffic Authority in consultation with the Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission and the Association of Independent Schools. A supporting website will also soon be available.

The new resource is being distributed free of charge to all schools and will be complemented by professional development for teachers in NSW high schools.

The resource package is based on key messages about identifying and reducing risk, making safe decisions and being proactive about personal safety in the road environment.

The package contains an interactive CD ROM, video, and activities which all link to the mandatory Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Syllabus.

"The new 'Road Risks: Your Choice' program will help high school students think more about safer behaviour on skateboards, around buses and when travelling in cars," Mr Scully said.

"Teachers can choose the best activities to suit the needs of their students," he said.

The interactive CD ROM allows students to participate in activities such as the creation of comic strips to help the characters act out a story line safely.

Other activities include investigating the causes of an accident, quizzes and games which reward safe behaviour choices while encouraging students to consider human, vehicle and environmental factors.

**Media please note: A group of Year 7 students at Corrimal High School will be trialling the package tomorrow, and media are welcome to attend to take photos/footage.

When: 9am Tuesday 7 December

Where: Corrimal High School, Murray Rd Corrimal (meet at Administration Bldg)

For further information: contact Renee Pearce on 0438 544 655

-RP

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128