Evaluation of the Crash Course March 2009 - De Montfort University

1. The Crash Course has demonstrated its effectiveness and should be retained as
part of the overall portfolio of road safety interventions in Staffordshire and
Stoke-on-Trent.
2. The core educational work with young people should be permanently funded.
3. The core task should remain the achievement of near universal coverage at Year
11. This is the point at which maximum coverage of the youth cohort can be
secured. The essential nature of the programme should not be changed in
response to pressure for income generation or demands for services to adults.
4. The course is likely to be effective with adult audiences as well as with young
people. The partnership should consider using income generated in this way to
fund development of the team and the dissemination of the course methods.
5. The design and content file for the course should be revised and updated to
ensure all the current essential messages and methods are reflected. It should
then be made copyright.
6. Particular attention should be paid to developing and increasing the content on
coping strategies.
7. A handout should be made available for reference giving key messages and
actions that young people can take to reduce risk.
8. Information should also be provided on agencies able to give counselling, advice
or support outside the school context.
9. New examples should be constantly sought to avoid the presentation becoming
stale or dated. Items of direct relevance to young people, such as the safe use of
motorbikes and scooters, could be particularly valuable.
10. The effects of relatively low levels of alcohol should be stressed as awareness of
effects and limits is poor amongst young people.
11. Wherever possible schools, colleges and training providers should be
encouraged to follow up and reinforce the road safety messages in other parts of
the timetable in as many subject areas as possible.
12. The Crash Course core team should be consolidated if possible with a single
employer and common line management, preferably in local authority education
in order to link most effectively with schools, colleges and the Youth Service.
Ideally salaries should be reviewed.
13. Strong links to existing partners should however be preserved, especially to
retain the essential contribution of the Fire and Rescue Service and the police.
Branding should be carefully considered for appeal and neutrality.
14. The core team needs a stable and adequate physical base and administrative
support should be considered.
15. All those engaged in delivery should have a system in place for pastoral support
and the management of stress where that is not already provided.
16. The Crash Course is currently too heavily dependent on a few key staff: the
essential messages and methods should be set down and used in the
recruitment of new contributors.
17. The effectiveness of Crash Course should be transferable: partnerships should
be sought with one or two other areas to develop pilot schemes, subject to
adequate funding.
18. Progress and effectiveness should be monitored on a continuing basis. Further
research could usefully address (i) comparisons with areas which do not use
such interventions,( ii) the longitudinal effects of the intervention and (iii)
motivations of young men towards risk taking and what messages might have
effective appeal
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