In November 1985 a postal survey was conducted to provide information about police officers' contributions to the teaching of road safety education in schools and colleges, and their associated activities related to that involvement. All 55 forces in the United Kingdom responded and detailed replies were received from 263 divisions (87%). The 53 forces involved in road safety education mostly included it as part of community/schools liaison work or within other duties. Most contact was with primary schools, less with secondary schools or colleges of further education. Frequent forms of assistance included talks and demonstrations for all age groups, practical cyclist training and testing for younger pupils and theoretical pre-driver training for older pupils aged 15-18. Resources used by the police to support their road safety work included films, posters and leaflets, training manuals and the Highway Code. Individual resources were, however, used on a regular basis in only a small proportion of the divisions in the survey. Over half the forces had developed their own teaching materials, in particular audio-visual aids. In nearly half the divisions, officers received no training for their road safety education duties, and little assistance from other bodies. Less than one fifth of police divisions received assistance from the local education authorities, and only just over half coordinated their road safety activities with the civilian road safety officers. Raising these levels of coordination and cooperation would benefit all concerned. (A)
Abstract