Road Safety Education
Every day children and young people are interacting with the road and traffic system either as a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist or driver. Road safety education in schools aims to prepare and equip this vulnerable road user group with the knowledge, skills and positive attitudes that will enable them to stay safe.
SDERA has a range of road safety education programs that target children and young people from birth to 18 years of age, and their parents and carers. These programs are funded by the Road Safety Commission and contribute to the road safety strategy in Western Australia.
Early years
This section provides information on programs, resources and professional learning that helps early childhood educators and parents deliver developmentally appropriate road safety education to prepare young children to become safe and independent road users.
Smart Steps
Smarts Steps is an early childhood road safety education program that has a great range of road safety education information and resources for early childhood educators, families and anyone transporting young children. The resources for educators, parents and young children include activities and ideas to build the concepts of staying safer while travelling as passengers, pedestrians and users of bikes and wheeled toys.
A Smart Steps professional learning workshop for educators working with young children up to 4 years of age is available.
Parent education sessions conducted by Meerilinga, Ngala, Playgroup and Kidsafe WA are available.
Izzy education sessions are available for early childhood centres and schools that have attended a Smart Steps professional learning workshop.
Challenges and Choices Kindergarten and Pre-primary
Challenges and Choices is a road safety curriculum program that takes a resilience approach building on children's strengths and developing personal and social skills so they are able to manage themselves and others in traffic-related situations. A Teacher Resource full of interactive learning activities and teaching strategies, along with storybooks, songs and posters helps teachers plan a road safety program for their students. To find out more click here.
Primary
Challenges and Choices Kindergarten to Year 6
Challenges and Choices is a road safety curriculum program that takes a resilience approach building on children's strengths and developing personal and social skills so they are able to manage themselves and others in traffic-related situations. The Teacher Resource book for each year level is easy to use, full of interactive learning activities and teaching strategies, and is supported by storybooks, songs and posters that can be incorporated into a classroom road safety program. Content is mapped to the Western Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education Syllabus, General Capabilities and in particular the Personal and Social Capability. To find out more click here.
Safer Kids: Challenges and Choices is a professional learning workshop that unpacks the resource, provides participants with up-to-date road safety information and statistics, and ideas and activities that can be transferred straight into the classroom. To find out more about professional learning click here.
Secondary
Challenges and Choices Years 7-10
Challenges and Choices Year 7 to 10 uses a resilience approach building on children's strengths and developing personal and social skills so they are able to manage themselves and others in traffic-related situations. The Teacher Resource book for each year level is easy to use, full of interactive learning activities and teaching strategies that can be incorporated into a classroom road safety education program. Content is mapped to the Western Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education Syllabus, General Capabilities and in particular the Personal and Social Capability. To find out more click here.
Keys4Life: Pre-driver education
Keys4Life is a comprehensive, national award winning, evidence-based pre-driver program that helps to educate young people about safer road use. Preparing young people for safer driving is an important component of the Western Australian road safety strategy as each year young drivers are over-represented in road crash statistics.
The program includes:
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Keys4Life Professional Learning Workshop for teachers
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Keys4Life Teacher Resource and support materials for students
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Keys4Life information session for parents and teenagers
School staff intending to deliver the program must attend a Keys4Life professional learning workshop. Only facilitators that have attended the Keys4Life one-day professional learning workshop can facilitate the Keys4Life program and administer the Learner’s Permit Theory Test.
Keys4Life Teacher Resource
The Keys4Life Teacher Resource has 10 lessons that cover essential pre-driver and road safety education content. It is mapped to a selection of learning areas in the Western Australian Curriculum.
Keys4Life information session for parents
Parents and teenagers are invited to attend a free parent information session. Information about the licensing system, how to make driving lessons enjoyable and safe, and how to kick start conversations about driving are covered in the one-hour session.
The workshop is run by the RAC in metropolitan schools and by SDERA Consultants in regional locations.
Whole school approach
CHAT
CHAT offers intensive support to guide schools, step-by-step as they develop a best practice whole-school approach to resilience, drug and road safety education. It provides opportunity to examine the broader, holistic notion of student wellbeing. Consultancy advice and support, easy to use resources, professional learning and financial assistance are all accessible to CHAT schools.