Press release
Minister Foley welcomes Road Safety Authority work on developing new road safety module for Transition Year
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Minister for Education Norma Foley has today welcomed the convening of focus groups with teachers and students on a new road safety module for Transition Year, as part of measures to help improve road safety culture among young people.
The Road Safety Authority has updated Minister Foley on its work to enhance the accessibility of its education programmes for schools. The Minister has welcomed this and has specifically identified the potential for a new Transition Year module addressing road safety as an immediate step.
The 2023 Fatality and Serious Injuries statistics amongst children, teenagers and young adults make stark reading. In 2023, there have been:
Minister Foley said:
“School communities have unfortunately seen the horrific consequences of road collisions at first hand. They have helped their students to cope with the loss of classmates on the roads, with the assistance of psychologists from NEPS. I know that we all united in our desire to play our part in reducing the number of road deaths and the devastation experienced by the families left behind.
“When I met the Road Safety Authority recently, I set them the challenge of developing a new TY programme as an immediate first step which could be taken to help change the road safety culture among our young people. Transition Year presents a unique opportunity to empower students with the knowledge and life skills they need, imbuing them with an appreciation of the risks associated with road use. The fact that the proportion of students doing Transition Year has increased to over 80 per cent offers a golden opportunity to equip them during a particularly formative time in their lives.
“I am pleased today to welcome the convening of focus groups which will engage directly with students and teachers to begin the work on developing such a module and my department looks forward to working with the RSA over the coming months to support in bringing this to fruition.”
Minister with responsibility for road safety, Jack Chambers said:
“This is an important and welcome development which will allow for enhanced and updated road safety education for students who are about to embark on their driving education journey. In addition to policy intervention, enforcement and awareness, education is an essential aspect to ensuring safer roads.
“After many years reducing road deaths, we have seen a very worrying trend which everyone in Government - as well as partner agencies - is determined to once again tackle to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries sustained on our roads.
“This new Transition Year programme is one of a number of important measures underway in this area and will complement other road safety initiatives including the ongoing work to modernise the driver testing curriculum as well a major youth stakeholder forum I am hosting later in the month with the RSA. I want to acknowledge the role played by Minister Foley in this initiative as well as the RSA and I look forward to the consultation and engagement with Transition Year students and teachers commencing in the coming period.”
Chief Executive of the RSA, Sam Wade said:
“We are delighted to have the Minister’s support and support from Minister Chambers too to develop this new programme, which can support all providers of road safety education to this age group. We have in recent days reached agreement with an experienced educator to lead the upcoming work and we will be working hard to have the new programme ready for September. We know from research that providing good quality evidence-based road safety education is arguably the most effective way to equip the entire population, over time, as to how to use the roads safely.”
Transition Year is a one-year stand-alone programme that forms the first year of a three-year Senior Cycle. It is designed to act as a bridge between the Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle.
Transition Year is a valuable programme for students that offers opportunities for life skills, personal, social and academic development and experience of adult and working life.
Transition Year programmes are designed at school level and based on a multi-layered approach.
The current RSA module for Transition Year students involves 34 class lessons which is a class per week throughout the year and was initially designed in 2009. Designing a shorter module is more aligned with other TY modules schools will be timetabling in their TY programme. The new module will also utilise technologies and practical experiences for students which were not available when the previous module was designed.
The materials created for the new TY module will be available for all road safety educators to use in their delivery.
Four focus groups are being convened with students and teachers to ensure a full range of perspectives can contribute to the programme’s development. There will be two groups involving teachers – the first being teachers who have used the previous TY module from the RSA or who have participated in other road safety programmes (including programmes offered like An Garda Siochana’s Lifesaver programme, Rotary Ireland’s Just 1 Life programme in Wexford, and also through Comhairle na nOg in Westmeath). The second involving teachers who have not experienced any road safety education programmes or interventions in their school recently. Similarly, the two student groups will involve those with experience of the RSA TY module or other road safety programmes and those who have had no access to road safety programmes in schools.