Background
A total of 665,408 road accidents occurred in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2019. 456 people were killed and over 13,000 people were seriously injured. The proportion of young road users causing serious accidents is disproportionately high. This is alarming and unacceptable. Excessive speed, not wearing a seatbelt, distracted driving and the consumption of alcohol and drugs: In over 50 percent of all cases, these are the reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on the roads. The police and their partners are breaking new ground with the "Crash Course NRW". The inspiration comes from Staffordshire in England, where a similar program has already been running for years.
What is "Crash Course NRW"?
"Crash Course NRW" is a traffic accident prevention program for young adults, in which the NRW police, among others, support educational institutions as part of their mobility and road safety education. The program is aimed specifically at young people in the 10th and 11th grades as well as vocational school students, as the proportion of young road users who cause serious traffic accidents is disproportionately high.
Preparation, stage event, follow-up...
...are the three elementary components of the "Crash Course NRW".
The young people are prepared in class for what to expect in the stage event. Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency care workers, family members and victims talk about their experiences in accidents involving young people. They show pictures or videos of accident scenes and tell what kind of accident happened there. How they felt during first aid or when they were given the news of a death. What tasks they had. What this one imagined accident does or has done to them.
All the actors are professionals in their profession, they do their work according to the checklist, that much is clear. But they are also people, fathers, mothers, siblings and have families of their own. And one thing doesn't leave them indifferent: when teenagers or young adults are so seriously injured that they can no longer help.
They all try to convey that in almost all cases, road accidents don't just happen, but are caused because rules are disregarded. And that is precisely why accidents are preventable...
Pastoral counselors will be on hand during and after the event to provide support if individual participants leave the room in dismay. After the event, sufficient time will be scheduled for discussions to process what has been heard.
For follow-up work in various subjects, exemplary materials are available on the University of Cologne's client server, such as a role play. Teachers can use the materials to actively develop alternative courses of action together with their pupils and strengthen their skills.
Effect
"Crash Course NRW" is scientifically monitored by the University of Cologne. Find out more about the prevention program and find follow-up material at http://www.crashkurs-nrw.uni-koeln.de/
Get in touch:
We will be happy to name a competent contact person in your area. Email: crashkurs [at] polizei.nrw.de