Road Safety in Studies of Society and Environment at Birdwood High School

The level of inclusion varies with the expertise of each teacher and the sections of the course they choose to tackle.

At Year 8

In the Environmental Studies Strand

• The study of mapping will often include examinations of specialised maps that could include those examining traffic patterns or black spots. Last year students examined the 80 speed limit on roads between Birdwood and Adelaide.

• The study of statistics can include recent data on road crashes. Students undertook a study of Victor Harbour and possible changes to the use of Granite Island. Part of this study required them to take into account changing traffic conditions in planning.

In the Active citizenship Strand

• Transport/traffic/road safety issues will often form the basis of discussions and student investigations. These look at the processes within our society for bringing about change. For instance students have looked at the role of the roundabout in Birdwood and the speed restrictions in suburban streets in Unley.

At Year 9

In the Environmental Studies Strand

• In investigating aspects of sustainability students choose to investigate car types and driving behaviour in determining efficient driving practices.

• Driver behaviour can also be a facet of our studies of urban and rural areas in other countries in order to learn by the successes and failures of others.

In the Active citizenship strand.

• Students investigate Law and Government in Australia. Many investigations in this strand focus on laws relating to road use…. The Hoon laws are a recent example.

At Year 10

In the Past to Present Strand

• Students examining changing aspects of our society in the 20^th. and 21^st. centuries. This includes changes in technology…. The car being one of the most common.

• Students examine contemporary world issues. Driver education, urban design based on the car , and resource depletion of oil and gas are often parts of these investigations.

In the Active Citizenship Strand

• Studies of the rights of individuals often bring up issues such as speedlimits, seatbelts and drink-driving legislation.

At Year 11

An optional topic for investigation has been the role of the car in our society.

At Year 12