Primary school students

Primary school students are still developing the knowledge and skills needed to identify hazards, assess risks and make safe decisions in traffic environments. While they may understand road safety concepts, they often require support to apply them consistently in real-world situations.

Primary school students:

• are still developing their ability to judge vehicle speed, distance and direction
• have limited attention and can be easily distracted
• are less visible to drivers because of their size
• are developing decision-making, self-regulation and hazard perception skills.

Road safety education should provide opportunities for students to:

• build practical road safety knowledge and skills
• develop safe decision-making through discussion and guided learning
• understand their responsibilities as pedestrians, passengers and riders
• reinforce classroom learning through partnerships with parents and carers.

Download: We need a hand in the traffic environment (PDF 911 KB)

Secondary school students

Secondary school students experience greater independence and increasingly complex travel situations. Although they have more road safety knowledge, they continue to develop the cognitive and social skills needed to manage risk effectively.

Secondary school students may:

• underestimate risks or overestimate their abilities
• be influenced by peers and social situations
• experience distraction from mobile devices and other technologies
• encounter more complex traffic environments through independent travel.

Road safety education should support students to:

• recognise and manage risks in a range of traffic environments
• critically evaluate influences on road user behaviour
• make informed and responsible travel decisions
• develop the attitudes, skills and behaviours needed to become safe and responsible road users as pedestrians, passengers, riders and drivers.

Download: Vulnerabilities of young people (PNG 510 KB)