Kids Speaking Up For Road Safety

Safe Roads Alliance has partnered with End Distracted Driving (EndDD.org) to develop a 45-60 minute in-classroom lesson—for grades 2‒3, 4–5, and 6—on the topic of distracted driving. The lesson introduces students to the concept of how being distracted affects us in our daily lives and how students can apply that knowledge to situations when they or others are distracted. The lesson also teaches communication skills to help students speak up effectively and respectfully when their adult driver is distracted.

Why is this program necessary?

In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional death for people ages four to twenty-four. Driving distractions are serious and have become an increasingly problematic issue, particularly with our addictive use of smartphones. A recent study indicates that parents are regularly driving in a distracted state with their children in the car. As described in a 2018 article in The Journal of Pediatrics (McDonald, et al, 2018), researchers found that among a group of 760 parents/caregivers of 4-10 year olds, in the 3 months prior to the study 47% talked on a hand-held phone, 52.2% talked on a hands-free phone, 33.7% read texts, 26.7% sent texts, and 13.7% used social media while driving with their child in the vehicle. Children are being exposed to heightened crash risks by their parents and others, and the goal of this program is to help them recognize distracted driving and to give them tools to effectively speak up when it occurs. As our children will be the next generation of drivers, it is critical to teach them early about the importance of focused driving. The sad reality is this: among drivers ages 16‒19, the frequency of crashes caused by distracted driving skyrockets to nearly 60%.

Go here for more information and to register for the program materials.

Want to bring this program to your school? Email [email protected]