Adding road safety training to the national school curriculum could leave the next generation of road users better prepared for when they start learning how to drive.
The call comes from risk management specialist and road safety provider TTC Group stating that road safety awareness should be taught in schools.
With 4,140 reported road casualties aged 0-16, and a further 7,630 casualties aged between 17-24, in 2020, there is a clear case for road safety to be added to the national curriculum if even a small percentage of these 11,770 casualties could be avoided.
Brake, a road safety charity which organises Road Safety Week every year, has urged for increased road safety education in schools.
Jason Wakeford, head of campaigns, said: “Younger drivers have a much higher chance of being in a crash due to over-confidence, inexperience and the fact they are more likely to take risks while on the road. Improved education for children and young people is vital, which is why we’re working with schools and colleges up and down the country this Road Safety Week to raise the profile of safe journeys.”
TTC has delivered an annual training programme to schools in the private sector across the UK. It said that teaching road safety to students nationwide would provide the next generation or road users a potentially life-saving set of practical skills before leaving school.
Sadly, young drivers are over-represented in collision stats; one in five crash within their first year of driving and more than 1,500 are killed or seriously injured each year.
Head of technical delivery for TTC, Andy Wheeler, said: “Too many young drivers are involved in crashes when they first pass their tests. By introducing this content into the national curriculum, the Government can give students the opportunity to regularly learn about road safety and be better prepared for when they become drivers. With Brake’s Road Safety Week now running, it’s a great time to help raise awareness to teachers and industry professionals on the dangers of driving and how we can all stay safer on the roads.”
Brake offers a free road safety toolkit for anyone wishing to help raise awareness of road safety in schools, which can be found here.
