Evaluation of the Crash Course March 2009 - De Montfort University

Staffordshire, the ‘severity ratio’ (or the proportion of casualties that are killed or
seriously injured) for all road user types (pedestrians, cyclists and passengers) is
lower than in Great Britain as a whole. In 2008, total casualties from January to July
2008 fell by 557 (22%) from the previous 3 year average. For 16-25 year-olds, the
reduction was somewhat more marked as casualties started to fall in 2007 and fell in
January to July 2008 by 198 from the previous 3 year average of 819 per annum
(24%). (Internal briefing, Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, Dec. 2008.)
While it would be impossible without an elaborate study against a control area to
conclude that Staffordshire’s road safety strategy is having a greater effect than
those in other areas, the evidence is encouraging. It is probable that the Crash
Course is playing a positive part in the overall portfolio of partnership efforts to
reduce casualties amongst the adolescent age group, particularly as the first two
years of Crash Course development and delivery to 15 and 16 year olds will only
now be affecting the cohort of young novice drivers.
1.6 Development of the Crash Course initiative
The Crash Course has been locally developed. The initiative started in 2004, when
agencies in Newcastle-under-Lyme were considering use of an Avon and Somerset
road safety programme. The police and their partners contacted the Youth Service to
see if any of the workers were interested in developing a similar programme for
Staffordshire. At this stage, Ann Morris, the first coordinator, took up the challenge
and started contacting other agencies about potential input. These included Victim
Support, where Colette Bennett, the second coordinator, was asked to get involved.
The Collision Investigation Unit of Staffordshire Police also became involved a little
later on. The Crash Course began its life as a piece of Youth Service targeted work
delivered primarily to Year 11 pupils in schools to increase awareness of risks and
the capacity to resist poor passenger and driver behaviours. The contributors
included the Fire and Rescue Service, road safety officers, the police, the Youth
Service and Victim Support. At first the presenters used the Avon and Somerset
model called the Impact Road Show but could not gain permission to adapt it. They
began to use more of their own experience and see the benefit with their audiences
and the decision was taken to develop a tailored local course.
In 2004, HM Coroner for the County became involved in the partnership. He had
been outspoken in the press about the irresponsibility of a young motorcyclist with no
licence who had been ‘showing off’, crashed his bike and killed himself. The Crash
Course team invited the Coroner to a presentation and asked him to support the
programme. He has chaired the partnership board since this point providing
invaluable support for the initiative.
In 2006, the Fire and Rescue Service provided increased capacity for the initiative to
assist in presentations and to lend additional impetus to the ability to get access to
schools. One officer was given additional staffing support so that he could contribute
to Crash Course almost on a full time basis. The initiative had strong support from
the incoming Assistant Chief Officer with the responsibility for community safety, who
had previously had a role in identifying good practice including road safety education
initiatives as part of the Fire Service national inspectorate dealing with integrated risk
management. The target of assisting to reduce deaths and injuries on the road was
embraced as part of the overall education effort along with promoting fire safety and
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