A B Clayton, C V Platt, M A Colgan and G ButlerBritish Institute of Traffic Education Research
Cost: initial study 181,000; production and distribution of packs 80,000.
Initial report published: June 1995
The broad aim of the study was to develop a road safety education resource which took into account the ways in which children aged 8-11 saw the road traffic environment and encouraged them to be part of the decision-making process in keeping themselves safe.
Using colour photographs of traffic situations, maps and simple questionnaires as stimuli, informal discussions were held with 128 children in eight schools. It was clear from the results that children tended to view the environment in terms of all potential threats to their safety, rather than just the danger from traffic. The presence of adults was often regarded as a threat, suggesting the strong influence of Stranger Danger campaigns. In general, children were reluctant, unless prompted, to accept personal responsibility for their own safety, opting instead for the introduction of safety engineering measures such as pelican crossings.
Based on the information obtained from these discussions, a resource was developed and piloted with 296 children in four schools. The resource, entitled On the move, consisted of five elements: The Big Book - a large (approximately A2) book illustrated with colour photographs of traffic situations; Stimulus Sheets - a set of 24 A4 sheets linked to the pages of the Big Book and supporting on-going activities by the teacher; Interactive Poster - a set of ten A4 colour photographs with a set of cards containing questions to stimulate discussion; Street Sounds - a cassette tape of traffic sounds providing stimuli for drawing activities; Notes for Teachers - providing suggested teaching approaches, links to relevant curriculum areas and suggestions for follow-up activities.
The aim of the main study was to evaluate the effect of using the resource upon children's knowledge and understanding of, and attitudes towards, road safety issues. Using a control group pre-test two post-test design, a total of 1122 children (622 in the experimental group who received the teaching and 500 in the control group who received no teaching) from 16 schools throughout Britain were tested prior to the teaching of the experimental group, then immediately after the teaching, and again some four months later. The tests were designed to obtain a picture of children's use of the roads, ascertain their thoughts about road safety issues, their understanding of typical hazards and road safety features and also to detect any changes resulting from the teaching of the resource. The results suggested that the teaching of the resource significantly improved the performance of the experimental group in comparison to the control group on both post-tests. In terms of the attitude changes, the results were more equivocal with both groups showing changes. A parallel process of evaluation was undertaken with the teachers who used the resource. The response was generally very favourable and most teachers found the overall format to be very acceptable. In addition, detailed information on children's use of the roads, analysed by year group, sex and area of Britain was provided by a questionnaire administered to all 1122 children during the pre-test.
In summary, a new teaching resource for 8-11 year olds, which is acceptable to teachers and fits the national curriculum, has been developed and rigorously evaluated, demonstrating its beneficial effects upon children's knowledge of the safer strategies to adopt as road users.
On the move - road safety resource pack
The AA Foundation agreed to fund production of a supply of packs for distribution to primary schools in the United Kingdom; the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund financially supported this initiative. A Welsh language version entitled Ar Fynd was also produced. Steven Norris MP, the then Minister for Road Safety, presented the first pack to the Blessed Dominic School, London NW9 in January 1996. BITER subsequently notified all primary schools and local authority road safety officers of the pack's availability and further promotions have taken place through the Education departments of local authorities.
Vauxhall Motors provided funds to ensure that most schools close to their manufacturing plants in Bedfordshire, Cheshire and the Wirral, received a copy. Packs are available from Gareth Butler - telephone: 01970 611 711, email: garethbutler@compuserve.com.
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