Road safety education in initial teaching training programmes

In 1986 a survey was conducted to investigate the role played by initial teacher training courses in preparing students to teach road safety. Questionnaires were sent to 112 colleges and departments of education throughout the United Kingdom and 96 (86%) were returned. The replies showed that only 12 institutions included road safety education in their initial teacher training programmes, the subject was most likely to be placed in health education, comparatively few students were involved, and most of them were preparing to teach in primary schools. Follow-up interviews were conducted with tutors from six of the 12 institutions that provided training in road safety education. Three main aims for the subject were identified: teachers need to know what to teach, how to teach it and to know about the physical and psychological factors that limit children's road safety skills. Lack of time and already crowded courses were given as major problems confronting tutors wanting to introduce or expand road safety teaching. Tutors suggested that these constraints could be overcome if the status of road safety education were raised by central and local government issuing clear policy statements. (A)