An evaluation of the Safe Drive Stay Alive road safety presentation ...

35This further emphasises how important it is for testimonies to show the “appropriate”level of emotionality (even if through their loss they have the attention and respectof the students).The „Goody bag‟Students were given a bag during the SDSA event which contained branded keyrings, CD holders, pens and leaflets. Whilst many students appreciated these itemsand found them practical and useful in school, on the whole students did not feel thegoody bag was entirely necessary. Some reported students throwing the key ringsaround in the theatre and other students discarded their bag without using orreading any of what was contained inside. Therefore it is worth reviewing the besttime to hand out such items, and even taking everything into consideration, whetherit is worthwhile.“They shouldn’t give all that free stuff out though it’s just a waste of money,everyone was like throwing it around and stuff.”3.1.10 Overview of timing, structure and flow of the eventUsing different media to portray the SDSA message was highly effective. Students‟attention was largely engaged throughout the event, and it helped to provide a livelyand dramatic event. However, this being the case, such usage of differing media didmean that the linkage between various elements of the SDSA event was not asseamless or a gradual as might be desired. For example, the change from the noisy,lively and stimulating video montage to the comparatively passive and subduedspeeches meant that students‟ attention was not fully engaged. This was noreflection on the speakers themselves, but rather their unfortunate position withinthe event.Teachers also commented on the fluctuating tone and „rollercoaster‟ of emotions:“It started on a high, they all immediately though it was going to be exiting, and itdipped, with the few speakers in between who came across more muted, and thenthe emotional wrench at the end. It didn’t necessarily spoil the message, but it didn’tget through as well as it could have.”