NEW INTERACTIVE ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE

Three Doonfoot Primary School pupils are the first young people in South Ayrshire to use a new, interactive, multi media road safety education resource 'a2bsafely'.

The online film based learning tool has been specially designed for young people between the ages of 10 and 16, with mild to moderate additional learning needs.   Five real life journeys, four on foot and one by bus, have been created, that contain clearly explained and relevant safety messages. The stories are narrated and presented by young people and encourage users of the system to progress through different levels of road safety education, with four levels of difficulty. The programme, which is constructed like an interactive game, can be tailored to suit the needs of the user, by switching off the sound or removing the graphics

Councillor Peter Convery, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Carrier for Environment and Sustainability went to Doonfoot Primary School to meet the pupils using the new system. He said:   "Children need to be educated about the importance of road safety and it is crucial that those with additional support needs learn the same lessons as their peers.

"Road safety awareness is an important life skill, that will help children with additional support needs to be more independent, but stay safe.   I was particularly impressed with the colourful and exciting system, 'a2bsafely' that the children are very enthusiastic about. I think it is key to teach road safety in a way that appeals to children and what seems to them like a game is actually teaching them valuable lessons about road safety."

There are four key areas where it is believed that children with additional support needs can face additional road safety risks because they may have:

•  A limited awareness of surroundings and concepts of danger.
•  A limited ability to cope with changing situations.
•  Some difficulties in putting theory into practice.
•  Some specific difficulties with co-ordination, balance and spatial awareness.

Anyone who would like more information about 'a2bsafely' should contact Road Safety Scotland or log on to www.roadsafetyscotland.org.uk although this is a web based resource a CD is also available for people who do not have access to the Internet. The system can also be accessed on computers at South Council libraries. Further information can also be accessed by contacting a Council Road Safety Officer on telephone number 01292 616371 or e-mailing road.safety@south-ayrshire.gov.uk