National Health Education Standards (NHES) 9-12
Standard 5: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on healthy behaviors.
5.12.2: Determine the value of applying a thoughtful decision-making process in health-related situations.
5.12.3: Justify when individual or collaborative decision making is appropriate.
5.12.4: Generate alternatives to health-related issues or problems.
Objectives:
Your teen driver education objective is to help students make appropriate driving decisions by first analyzing how various factors impact teen driver safety. Students will achieve this objective by:
- Explaining how speed affects teenage driving
- Determining the impact of environmental conditions on teenage driving behaviors
- Examining the effects of various mental and physical conditions on teenage driving behaviors
- Determining reasons people “take chances” when driving
Speeding and Driving:
- Have students list different speed limits they encounter while riding or driving in the car.
- Ask students where they see lower speed limits (residential neighborhoods, etc.) versus where they have seen higher speed limits (highways).
- Have students discuss the reasons for the variations in speed limits. Ask students what might happen if there was just one speed limit, regardless of location.
- Have students explain the importance of obeying speed limits and the dangers of not obeying speed limits.
Activity 1:
- Use masking tape to mark out a 4' x 4' square on the floor.
- Have four (4) students position themselves on the square. (One student on each strip of tape)
- Have students walk slowly around the square as you play music.
- Tell students that when the music stops they should immediately stop walking.
- Stop the music.
- Have students examine where they are in relation to one another. Because they were walking slowly they should still have some distance between one another.
- Have students begin walking around the square again. This time tell students to walk briskly and to continue to increase their speed as they walk.
- Again, play music as they walk.
- Abruptly stop the music.
- Ask students what they noticed this time. (Students will most likely be extremely close or bump into one another.)
- Explain that when you are traveling at a high rate of speed it is more difficult to stop abruptly and they are more likely to have an accident.
Environment and Driving
- Explain that in normal driving conditions (no extreme weather) it is important to adhere to the speed limit and keep a safe distance between cars.
- Ask students how environmental conditions, such as poor weather, might impact driving.
- Explain that when you are traveling at a high rate of speed it is more difficult to stop abruptly and they are more likely to have an accident
Activity 2
- Have students brainstorm various environmental conditions that might impact driving conditions. For example, frost/ice, sun glare, fog, night driving and heavy rain.
- Next to each condition listed, describe the ways in which they would need to adjust their driving to accommodate for the condition.
Dispositions and Driving
- Ask students to explain why driving can be considered both a physical and mental activity.
- Explain that safe driving means being mentally alert and physically alert.
- Tell students that if we are not in optimal physical or mental condition we put ourselves and others at risk.
- Tell students that it is best for us to consider our physical and mental condition before we decide to drive.
Activity 3
-
Create index cards that describe various physical and mental conditions of a group of drivers (put each condition on a separate card):
- Student who stayed up all night studying and is extremely tired
- Girl who just broke up with her boyfriend and is crying uncontrollably
- Angry parent who keeps turning around to yell at the kids in the backseat
- Fearful, older driver who is driving well below the speed limit
- Aggressive driver with road rage who yells at others on the road
- A driver who is physically and mentally alert, obeys the rules of the road and is driving the posted speed limit (Good Driver)
- A person who has lost glasses and is having a hard time seeing
- A businessman who is extremely happy about a new promotion; he has the music blasting and is singing, dancing and accelerating while driving
- A driver suffering from a migraine headache who is having hard time focusing and staying in his/her own lane
- Distribute cards to selected students.
- Tell students they must "drive" (walk) around the classroom, or in a designated area of the classroom, exhibiting the behaviors described on their card.
- Have the good driver (see “f” above) start. Then direct other students to join in as well.
- Students who are not driving should watch carefully and try to determine the mental and/or physical conditions of the drivers. They should note how the drivers interact on the road and any potential dangers they witness.
- After the allotted driving time have the whole class discuss what they noticed.
Risky Decisions and Driving
- Ask students to brainstorm some risky behaviors people engage in while driving.
- Tell students that two risky behaviors that cause a lot of crashes are tailgating and driving while drowsy.
- Discuss why people may "take chances" when driving.
- Explain to students that risky behaviors can lead to accidents.
Activity 4
- Tell students that their school is starting a bumper sticker campaign to help teen drivers make better decisions.
- Ask students to name some bumper stickers they remember seeing on cars. Have students discuss what makes these bumper stickers memorable.
- Have students discuss the purpose(s) of bumper stickers. List the characteristics of "successful" bumper stickers.
- Have students design bumper stickers to remind teen drivers, and others, not to take chances while driving.
- Distribute markers and paper to students. Instruct them to design bumper stickers that focus on making better decisions and avoiding risky behavior.
- Remind students to consider what phrases, images, and ideas might appeal to their desired audience.
- Each student should try to create two (2) bumper stickers -- one focused on tailgating and one focused on drowsy driving.
- After the allotted time, have students share their bumper stickers with their classmates.
- The teacher may choose to post the bumper stickers around the classroom.
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