Kids On Road To Safer Lives

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday December 8, 2004

By SARAH HEINZMAN

IF a room full of students with eyes glued to their computer screens was any indication, it was a hit.

Corrimal High School students yesterday tried out a new road safety multimedia package which will be distributed free throughout NSW schools at the start of next year.

The package was 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 educational resource, called Road Risks: Your Choice, consists of a CD-ROM, a video and teaching manual and is designed to teach Year 7 and 8 students about their responsibilities on the road.

The video was filmed entirely in the Illawarra.

The CD-ROM involves a series of interactive comic strips, games and quizzes which reward students for safe choices.

UOW Education Faculty senior lecturer Gregg Rowland, who wrote material for the package, said students were given scenarios which included their role as passengers, pedestrians and as the users of equipment such as skateboards or in-line skates.

"It is designed to look at all the factors which involve risk: human, environmental and vehicle," he said.

"They have to explore a scene, then they are asked questions and they have to come up with the answers."

The students can then discuss their choices with their teacher and peers.

Corrimal High School health education teacher Vanessa Glasgow said the package was an effective way to teach road safety skills.

"The graphics are developed for young people, it's what they see in general life," she said.

One of the best things about it was that it was Australian-made. So many of their resources were American which the students had trouble relating to, Ms Glasgow said.

An added bonus was that the video component was filmed in the Illawarra, which made it even more relevant to her students.

Year 7 student Dru Morton-Allen said he had enjoyed answering questions in the quizzes.

He said he had already learnt a lot from the package including the speed limit for learner drivers and that both the driver and the passenger in a car could be fined if one of them was not wearing a seatbelt.

© 2004 Illawarra Mercury

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