Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Schools have an important role to play both in teaching students about road safety issues and in helping them to develop the attitudes necessary to promote safe behaviour on the roads. As such, Road Safety is addressed at several levels throughout a child's school-going years. The Social Personal and Health Education programme, which is mandatory in primary schools and at junior cycle level, provides a framework under which the generic values and skills which underpin responsible decision-making, and respect for the rights and safety of others can be developed and promoted among students. SPHE has a specific personal safety strand within the programme, and this provides a mechanism through which road safety issues for all can be best dealt with in an age appropriate way. In addition, the Civic Social and Political Education programme, also mandatory at junior cycle, deals with important themes such as Law, Rights and Responsibilities, Democracy and Inter-dependence, which are also important in a road safety context.

The Streetwise programme for junior cycle pupils was launched in UN Road Safety Week on 24 April 2007. It covers road safety across 9 topics — walking, cycling, seatbelts, airbags, speed, driver fatigue, motor cycle safety, hazard recognition and the engineering aspects of road safety, to be delivered over nine class periods.

A follow on programme has also been developed by the RSA in collaboration with my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Second Level Support Service for use in Transition Year, and is currently being piloted in schools. Covering areas such as seatbelt use, hazard perception and driver attitudes towards alcohol and drug use the Transition Year Road Safety Programme will also prepare students for the Driver Theory Test. The Road Safety Authority has also obtained input from the Gardaí, NCT centres and Bus Éireann in the delivery of this programme.

I have no plans to introduce practical driver education, in the form of driving lessons in schools, and this is not the norm within the EU. Research available internationally is inconclusive on the benefits of teaching young people to drive at school. Particular issues highlighted include the gap arising between the time practical skills are learned initially and put into regular practice, and the risks arising from more young people taking up driving at an earlier age.