Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to the House and thank her for taking this Commencement matter.I also thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the matter this morning.

In an effort to enhance and strengthen road safety, I propose that it be a mandatory subject at second level. Some schools already do modules on road safety during transition year and this has proven very successful. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has designed a very impressive module which is available to schools but, unfortunately, there has been a very low uptake.

I wish to bring the House's attention to certain aspects of the module which comes under the heading of personal achievement and local and global citizenship. The unit builds on existing curriculum links in junior cycle civic, social and political education, CSPE, and social, personal and health education, SPHE, through its emphasis on the values and skills that underpin responsible decision-making and in respect for the rights and safety of others. The unit was designed by teachers and includes a wide range of methodologies and activities. The programme is fully resourced with a step-by-step set of lesson plans and worksheets. Each lesson is clearly structured and includes a teacher note, worksheets and class activities. An interactive DVD also provides support and includes class activities, crash reconstructions and real-life stories. The unit also includes project work and input from agencies such as An Garda Síochána, the emergency services and those with responsibility for the national car test, NCT, which adds greatly to the effectiveness of the programme. It delivers an important message that all students need to hear.

The transition unit is supported by digital resources including access to international websites on road safety issues and the Road Safety Authority, RSA, website. The module develops and reinforces research, field work and project skills acquired at junior cycle, Streetwise road safety links, with the promotion of positive attitudes and behaviours associated with CSPE and SPHE, and links with ICT for research and project presentation. It links with the leaving certificate physics motion and English media reporting of news and the role of advertising in promoting road safety. The module has an introduction to road safety, what it means to the trainee, whose business is road safety. It deals with pedestrians and cyclists. It goes into safety precautions, seat belt wearing, child restraints, loose objects in cars and air bags. It is quite a comprehensive module and its aims are to enable students to explore their own attitudes and behaviour in respect of road safety, promote visual literacy, enable students explore their own attitudes and behaviour in the context of road safety and increase road safety awareness among the wider school community. It also seeks to identify the key causes of road accidents in Ireland explain the factors that contribute to road safety, identify the role of different stakeholders who have a remit for road safety, work collaboratively towards an agreed set of goals through a group project, practice basic first aid skills and so on. Furthermore, it helps student successfully complete the driver theory test which is very important and something we are having difficulties with now. This is a very important subject that should be mainstreamed in second-level schools and other areas of education, adult and otherwise.