School Road Safety Programme Launched

  • Mark Gosche
Transport

21 March 2002Media Statement
Reading, Writing and Road Safety

Kids at primary and intermediate schools across the country will be getting lessons in road safety as part of the everyday curriculum thanks to a new programme launched today by Transport Minister Mark Gosche at Auckland's Ellerslie School.
The new $9 million RoadSense Ata Haere programme will be rolled out progressively over the next three years, beginning with 250 schools this year. The voluntary programme will ultimately be available to every primary and intermediate school in the country.
Mr Gosche said the RoadSense programme would increase the amount of road safety education in schools by helping teachers integrate relevant subject matter into their every-day delivery of the existing curriculum. In practice that could mean anything from calculating car speeds or stopping distances to teach maths, to writing road safety advertisements, songs or stories.
"Imagine kids building their own roading networks in the playground, writing stories, songs or poems about road safety issues. They can carry out surveys, role play mock court trials, write school road codes, design posters or road signs - the options for using road safety to teach the New Zealand curriculum are endless, and they're exciting,” Mr Gosche said.
A key element of the new programme is a comprehensive RoadSense website, which includes lesson plans for teachers and classroom activities for kids.
"We know that teachers are already working hard to deliver the curriculum. This programme isn't about giving teachers more work to do - it simply offers some different options. Roadsense facilitators have also been trained to help support teachers at the participating schools. We've tried to make teaching road safety at school as simple and easy as possible," Mr Gosche said.
The RoadSense programme will build on and support the road safety work which Police are already doing at schools - the programme facilitators will work alongside Police Education Officers.
RoadSense has been developed by the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA), based on an initiative that has been successfully piloted at schools around the country.
Mr Gosche said the RoadSense programme was meant to lay the foundations of a New Zealand society with a new attitude to road safety.
“This is not a quick fix. It’s a long term strategy focussed on changing attitudes and perceptions to road safety. This government is committed to saving lives by educating all of our road users. This programme will help build a nation of adults who have grown up with a respect for the road.’’

For more information, please contact: Lyn Holland Mark Gosche’s press secretary on 04 4719 063 or 021 270 9004.

For details on participating schools in your area, please contact: Andy Knackstedt, LTSA Media Manager, Ph 04 494 8751 or 025 763 222

For more information on the Roadsense programme, visit the website at www.roadsense.govt.nz