Teacher Awareness Kit - Journey Beyond Road Trauma
Teacher Awareness Kit - Journey Beyond Road Trauma
Teacher Awareness Kit - Journey Beyond Road Trauma
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journey beyond<br />
road trauma<br />
A Classroom Resource for <strong>Teacher</strong>s and Students<br />
JOURNEY BEYOND ROAD TRAUMA<br />
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong>
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
JBRT Classroom Resources<br />
• JBRT Curriculum Relevance<br />
• Unit 1 - Consequences of High Risk Driving Behaviours<br />
• Unit 2 - Driving and Prescription Drugs (Pharmaceuticals)<br />
• Unit 3 - Dealing with Grief<br />
• Unit 4 - Tragic Consequences of Driver Fatigue<br />
• Unit 5 - Developing Cognitive Reasoning Skills for Personal Behaviour Assessment<br />
• <strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
• Student <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
• <strong>Teacher</strong> Multimedia <strong>Kit</strong><br />
• Student Multimedia <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 1 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Facts & Statistics<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
Approximately 1,600 fatalities and 50,000 injuries<br />
occur on Australian roads every year. These<br />
are staggering numbers, but it is difficult to<br />
comprehend the enormity of these figures until<br />
you put a face and a story to each statistic.<br />
<strong>Road</strong> trauma is a difficult and complex issue.<br />
It causes a ripple effect of loss and grief which<br />
extends throughout communities. For every road<br />
death it has been estimated that an average of<br />
13 people are significantly affected.<br />
A definition of the term trauma by the Australian Academy of Science*<br />
The word ‘trauma’ is especially appropriate to describe the injuries inflicted by road crashes. The medical<br />
profession uses it for any bodily injury or wound, but more literally it means ‘a powerful shock that may<br />
have long-lasting effects’ – an apt description for the sudden violence of a road crash.<br />
Various thesaurus definitions of trauma include disturbance, shock, suffering, upset, pain, strain and distress<br />
and while road trauma is mostly associated with motor vehicle crashes, the term road trauma can also refers<br />
to crashes involving rail, tram, motorbikes, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians.<br />
Those affected by road trauma include those involved in the<br />
crash, their family, their close friends, those first on the scene<br />
and the attending emergency service workers.<br />
<strong>Road</strong> trauma not only describes the impact of physical injuries<br />
sustained by those involved in a road crash but the emotional<br />
suffering suffered by people left to grieve the loss or care for<br />
those seriously injured in crashes.<br />
Risk driving behaviours include speeding, drink driving,<br />
driving under the influence of licit and illicit drugs, fatigue<br />
and not using seat belts and restraints. Licit substances<br />
include prescription medications and inhalant misuse and<br />
illicit substances include illegal drugs. Substance abuse can<br />
be defined as the use of any substance for mood-altering<br />
purposes.<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 2 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Facts & Statistics (continued)<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
The NSW Government Motor Accidents Authority<br />
claims cognitive, attitudinal, behavioural and<br />
cultural and social factors make young people<br />
more susceptible to being involved in road<br />
crashes.<br />
Young people aged 17 to 25 years are at a higher<br />
risk of crashing than older drivers because of<br />
inexperience and a tendency to take part in risk<br />
taking behaviour.<br />
State Governments and Automobile Organisations<br />
monitor road fatalities and actively support driver education in an effort to eradicate road trauma. (see links<br />
further on for further information)<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 3 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Background - <strong>Journey</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong><br />
The <strong>Journey</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong> website was conceived and created by South Australian filmmaker Sandra<br />
Cook and New South Wales online media producer Kerry Sunderland.<br />
When Sandra’s father died after a collision in 2004, Sandra realised that families and friends of those affected<br />
by road crashes needed an outlet for their grief and pain.<br />
“When you think about all the people affected by all these crashes the numbers are mind boggling,” she<br />
says, “I’ve spoken to a lot of people affected by road trauma for both serious injuries and for fatalities and<br />
from that I’ve understood that people affected by road trauma often feel quite voiceless when they have<br />
so much to say. They also quite often want to do something positive or proactive so this doesn’t happen to<br />
someone else.”<br />
The project launched in 2010 with sponsorship from organisations including Screen Australia, the Royal<br />
Automobile Association of South Australia, the Alcohol and Rehabilitation Foundation (which promotes<br />
community education to prevent alcohol and other licit substance abuse) and the South Australian Film Corp.<br />
The <strong>Journey</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong> website aims to provide a sanctuary for those affected by road trauma.<br />
People can find support, join the online community, tell their story via a blog or a digital story and create a<br />
memory space and place a Tribute Pin for a loved one.<br />
The project also aims to inform the greater community about the people behind road accident statistics<br />
through and educational awareness campaign.<br />
The objective of the site is the hope that more and more people will consider their personal ability and<br />
behaviour when driving, and thereby help to lower the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads.<br />
It is hoped by participating in this online community and sharing stories of road trauma that many will find<br />
solace in the stories while others will be educated about the causes and affects of road trauma.<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 4 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Dealing With <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong> at School<br />
The <strong>Journey</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong> website is a ‘place’ where a school community can come to terms with a<br />
road trauma tragedy.<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
Though Tribute Pins, blogs and dedicated memory space<br />
teachers and students can both express their feelings and also<br />
find support for their grief.<br />
Contributions such as poems, artwork and messages can be<br />
uploaded and shared - thereby offering a degree of solace to<br />
the individual as well as the school community.<br />
The learning activities in the Units of Study may assist students<br />
in understanding and rationalising an overwhelming sense of<br />
sadness caused by closely related road trauma.<br />
However, it should be stressed that JBRT is not a counselling service and those affected personally by road<br />
trauma in the school community should be encouraged to seek professional support.<br />
A list of support organisations can be found at journeybeyondroadtrauma.org/cms/support-services<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 5 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Definitions<br />
• The term road trauma describes the impact of physical injuries sustained by the crash as well as the<br />
emotional suffering suffered by people left to care for those injured in a crash or to grieve the loss of a<br />
person.<br />
• A definition of the term trauma by the Australian Academy of Science*<br />
The word ‘trauma’ is especially appropriate to describe the injuries inflicted by road crashes. The medical<br />
profession uses it for any bodily injury or wound, but more literally it means ‘a powerful shock that may<br />
have long-lasting effects’ – an apt description for the sudden violence of a road crash.<br />
• Various thesaurus definitions of trauma include disturbance,<br />
shock, suffering, upset, pain, strain and distress and while road<br />
trauma is mostly associated with motor vehicle crashes, the<br />
term road trauma can also refers to crashes involving rail, tram,<br />
motorbikes, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians.<br />
• Definition licit drugs (dictionary.com)<br />
legal; lawful; legitimate; permissible.<br />
• Definition illicit drugs (dictionary.com)<br />
1. not legally permitted or authorised; unlicensed; unlawful<br />
2. disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 6 of 7
<strong>Teacher</strong> <strong>Awareness</strong> <strong>Kit</strong><br />
Bibliography<br />
Nova: Science In The News (Online Publication August 2006)<br />
http://www.science.org.au/nova/070/070key.htm<br />
Statistics<br />
Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Transport<br />
<strong>Road</strong> Crash Statistics<br />
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/road_fatality_statistics/index.aspx<br />
This site includes data from a variety of sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and<br />
Australian Transport Safety Bureau publications, and police road crash data collected by the New South Wales<br />
<strong>Road</strong>s and Traffic Authority.<br />
References<br />
Accident and Education and Rehabilitation Foundation Ltd<br />
http://www.aerf.com.au/<br />
NSW Government Motor Accidents Authority Youth Injury Prevention<br />
http://www.maa.nsw.gov.au/default.aspx?MenuID=156<br />
NSW Motor Accidents Authority Youth <strong>Road</strong> Safety Campaign<br />
www.arrivealive.com.au<br />
South Australian Department of Transport Energy and Infrastructure<br />
http://www.dtei.sa.gov.au/roadsafety<br />
<strong>Journey</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>Trauma</strong> Website<br />
www.journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
RACV<br />
http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/internet/primary/road+safety<br />
RAC WA<br />
http://rac.com.au/About-Us/Community/Community-education.aspx<br />
RACQ<br />
http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/driving/road_safety/road_safety_documents<br />
NRMA<br />
http://www.mynrma.com.au/about/secondary-school.htm<br />
Proudly sponsored by<br />
© 2011 Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd<br />
journeybeyondroadtrauma.org<br />
Page 7 of 7
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