Road Safety Week

Grades 9-12

Hosting a Road Safety Week or Road Safety Day is a fun and educational way to promote road safety awareness and engage students as well as the greater school community.

The tools and supports in this package can be used by student councils, parent organizations, community educators, public health or recreation staff or youth group facilitators. This resource also links to lesson plans on driver distractions, impaired driving, and ATV safety.

Goals

Similar to the lessons on road safety, the goal of an awareness day or week is to develop:

Knowledge and understanding of road safety relating to driver distractions, impaired driving, and ATVs;
Behavioural skills necessary to survive on our roads and reinforcing the Healthy School approach;
An understanding of their own responsibilities for keeping themselves safe and healthy;
Knowledge of the causes and consequences of road collisions involving driver distraction, drinking, and speeding;
A responsible attitude to their own safety and to the safety of others.

Choosing a Date

Here are a few suggestions on when to have a Road Safety Day:

The week or days prior to the start of a long weekend as families may go on road trips for vacation, or to visit friends and family;
The week, or a day, prior to the start of the official winter season;
The week, or a day, prior to holidays (Christmas, Easter, Spring Break, Summer holidays);
The week leading up to the Prom;
When a joint event is possible (for example, the local Police RIDE program, or the MADD ribbon campaign);
In conjunction with the United Nations Global Road Safety Week or Canada Road Safety Week.

Event Length

The event can be a week-long event or a series of one-day events over the year.

As a week-long event in the school, adopt the whole school approach, with departments taking ownership for specific days and the entire school participating in Day 5.

For a one-day event, focus on a theme such as distracted driving.

Road Safety Week Framework and Suggested Activities

This package provides a wide variety of materials, activities and suggestions to make up a one week road safety event. Select from the list of resources below to support your event, whether it is one day or a week-long.

When you begin your planning process, also consider the existing programs and events in your community that can support your objectives here. For example, the Sweet Life Road Show is a traveling road show that engages young people to in an interactive day of road safety education. Such a presentation in the school could enrich a series of Road Safety Week events or presentations.