The involvement of local education authorities in road safety education

In April 1986, a survey was conducted to provide information about the policies of local education authorities (LEAs) in the field of road safety education, and their associated activities related to those policies. A one page questionnaire was sent to the chief education officers of 121 LEAs throughout the United Kingdom and 97 (80%) responded. Thirty four of the questionnaires had been completed by road safety officers (RSOs) and so were excluded from the analyses. The responses of the remaining 63 LEAs showed that specific policies for the teaching of road safety education in schools were essentially non-existent, though a few LEAs had considered strategies for including it in subjects such as personal, social and health education (PSHE). There was no instance of an LEA being involved in organising courses for teachers in road safety education in conjunction with RSOs. The majority of LEAs reported some level of liaison with road safety agencies, particularly with RSOs, but the initiative had come from RSOs, not from the LEA. Over half of the responding LEAs (38) indicated that schools had links with road safety specialists outside the schools. The implications of these results are discussed in detail. (A)