Towards survival on the road – a whole-of-life road safety programme of learning for all road users

Pedestrians and cyclists have long been recognised as vulnerable road users, but walking and cycling safety are only two aspects of a fragmented, educationally-speaking, Road Safety scene. The making of educational links between the safety principles of being a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist and driver could serve to improve access to Road Safety Education for all road users. The Road Safety curriculum presented in this paper is designed as a whole-of-life concept and as such is not an exclusively school-based concept. There would, however, be the option of the relevant parts to be taken up by educational institutions at all levels. It is formatted in such a way as to make it accessible using a multitude of means, both electronic and hard copy. The level of language used is intended to be straightforward and concise, meeting the needs and expectations of the target audiences. This Road Safety curriculum is based on best practice design: it employs the scaffolding technique which establishes the scope (breadth or content) and sequence (order) of the concepts to be presented and learnt. With minor modifications this curriculum could be applied to a left-hand drive environment. Great effort has been made to show connections between principles of passenger safety, pedestrian safety, cycling safety and driving and appropriate emphasis is placed on the concept of readiness for learning and the development of independent road use: individuals cannot be allowed to face foreseeable dangers for which they unprepared. This model of learning adopts a conservative approach based on what has been found in the research in the field of human growth and development. Progress charts are an integral feature in each section of this Road Safety programme.