In-car safety workshops

[Karen Dobson]

We are looking to create a new classroom workshop for Year 3 and Year 4 students, with a theme of in-car safety. I would love to hear from you if you have any in-car safety activities that you feel you could share. Potential themes include wearing seatbelts, continuing to use booster cushions/high-back booster seats, not distracting the driver etc. Thank you for reading my request.

Karen Dobson

[admin]

Dear Karen,

I can recommend the ‘Dim Family’ resource, which is a reduced sized car, containing a beanbag ‘family’, plus 8 ft ramp. The car is run down the ramp and crashes, with the benefits of seat-belt wearing demonstrated by repeating the exercise with occupants belted, or not.

We bought the practical demonstration kit from Forge House Group, Darlington and it cost around £800.

We used this really useful practical demonstration resource with KS2. I can provide you with results of an evaluation we conducted with couple of groups of Yr6 students – where we measured before and after knowledge and attitudes.

The results of the evaluation showed us the intervention had been effective in delivering what we’d intended. If interested, I can provide you with the results of the evaluation.

Julie Jones

E: julie.jones@oxfordshire.gov.uk

[Karen Dobson]

Thank you Julie, we do have the Dim Family project and I agree that it is interactive.

We have a large county and numerous sets of The Dim Family equipment. However, after a lot of use, our sets are worn and many are damaged beyond repair. We are looking to reduce the use of this resource and do a different classroom workshop with an in-car safety theme.

Karen Dobson

E: karen.dobson@derbyshire.gov.uk

[admin]

I really don’t prioritise yr3+4 for in car stuff – only at events where used to use DIMMS (tired like yours and not replaceable) which tended to be more targeted at yr 6 transition. I’ve used the RSGB Arility resource – started to and planned to replace DIMMS with that. Though not equivalent.

For us – city – casualties tend to be as VRUs, around walk to school. For this I also like the braking distance activity, combined with crossing road safely and vision test for driving – then discussing/modelling to bring out variables when planning to cross road in real life. But with yr 6 transition. Yr3+4 still to child ped training from earlier. Has the problem been highlighted by local data?

Keith Baldock

E: keith.baldock@brighton-hove.gov.uk
T: 07932552842

[admin]

Not strictly in car, and not to protect the passenger or driver, but with the ever increasing number of untrained cyclists on the road perhaps you could consider including ‘The Dutch Reach’ to encourage those getting out of cars to look out properly for cyclists before opening the door, Cycling UK have a good video on their site.

Patrick Jarman

E: patrick.jarman@kent.gov.uk

[admin]

Thank you for responding Keith and Patrick. Your comments are helpful, and we are going to look into the RSGB Arility session and the Cycling UK video.

Karen Dobson

E: karen.dobson@derbyshire.gov.uk

[admin]

Hi Karen, we use the Dimm family too. But we also use a catapult to show how kinetic energy throws you forward to explain why how a seat belt works (easier to move around than the Dimm family!). We also stole Lancashire’s idea from the last national conference and have a car seat ‘measuring stick’ set at 135cm and children have to check if they are tall enough. This helps explain the car seat rules. We have a presentation that covers a range of issues with this age group called Safe4Life. Ruth

Ruth Gore

E: ruth.gore@eastriding.gov.uk

[admin]

Seatbelts is a good one – a personal bug-bear of mine – rather than the DIM family tech’ (interesting as it is), are there any what the Americans call the “seat-belt enforcer”? This the DIM family tech’ in the flesh/metal where the subject is put in a seat on a ramp (5-point harness), Seat is allowed to roll down the ramp and hit the stop at the bottom at 6-7mph. Very kinaesthetically effective.

As for VRU’s:
Pedestrian education, for me, centres around “see and be seen”, distraction avoidance and compliance. Pedestrian education should start with parents/drivers pointing out what being an intelligent pedestrian involves.

From the opposite/driver/rider angle, I include an analysis of SMIDSY events in any training I do:

Not seeing what’s there to be seen (VRU’s and others) is part of the human condition and “failed to look properly” is one factor (among others) quoted by the Police in more than 40% of crashes.
So anything that brings out the elements of SMIDSY is a useful nudge. What blocks vision:
– physical obstructions inside and outside the vehicle, clearly
– psychological elements, optimism bias, rush-rush, late pressures, over-familiarity, complacency
– saccadic masking, the inability of the brain to take in detail in a visual scan. Easily proven.
– punctum caecum, the 2% blind spot in each eye. Easily demonstrated.

David

E: Ralge@sky.com
T: 07791382519

[admin]

Hello Karen,

This academic year (before Covid-19) my Road Safety lesson throughout all of my local Primary Schools was Seatbelt Safety. The lesson is about 30-40 minutes each class.
With regards to Years 3 & 4 classes, I have a PowerPoint presentation that includes a video and relevant information for the children. I find the presentation brings good discussions and questions with the classes. At the end of the lesson, I use a small sledge ramp and a car with small fabric dummies. I show the class the car journey on the ramp without and with seatbelts, again this is a discussion point and very effective for the children to see.

If you require any more information or if you are interested I can provide you with my presentation, please contact me and I am happy to help 🙂

Many thanks,
Chloe Lyons

E: c.lyons@npt.gov.uk

[Author]

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