Road safety learning within the Curriculum for Excellence

It’s Your Call but don’t be a Crash Magnet.

Road Safety Scotland have developed two free road safety learning resources specifically for secondary school pupils, and linked to CfE. ‘Your Call’, is suitable for S1-S3, and ‘Crash Magnets’, for S4-S6.

These online resources aim to engage young people in developing road skills to promote good peer influence and provide strategies to help them to look after themselves and others in the road environment.

Your Call has a range of interactive activities which explore risk-taking, decision making, personal safety, pre-driver attitudes and peer pressure. These activities target an ‘at-risk’ age group.

The resource embraces a learning style that is fundamental to CfE and provides teachers with flexible lesson plans that support the experiences and outcomes. Pupils are actively encouraged to discuss and share experiences, reflect and challenge their own behaviour with a view to taking responsibility for their own safety and that of others.

Activities focus on relevant issues for the 11-14 age group, using a style and range of imagery that they identify with. They includes two feature films which explore the impact a road accident can have on young lives – one from a pedestrian perspective for younger pupils and, for older pupils, one with a passenger theme.

It has mobile compatibility and can be used by both teachers and students using a tablet or mobile phone. Find out more at www.itsyourcall.org.uk

Crash Magnets is aimed to help shape S4-S6 pupils’ opinions and attitudes on issues such as speeding, drink driving, driver distraction, drug driving and in-car safety.

The online activities are combined with DVD clips of other young people sharing experiences, which aim to encourage students to feel confident about expressing themselves in class about their own opinions and experiences.

It seeks to engage them in the importance of positive attitudes and behaviours before they get behind the wheel of a car. The resource acknowledges that, at their age, driving a car has great benefits in developing independence and for some, defines them as an adult. However, this must be balanced with an understanding of the dangers of behaving irresponsibly at the wheel.

Although activities are geared towards certain year groups, they are not prescriptive and allow for flexibility. For more information go to www.crashmagnets.com