TeenRSA Program Guide by Benesch

Acknowledgement

This Guide has been developed through a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations and individuals who share a strong passion for roadway safety and youth involvement. Of particular note, our thanks to the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), and the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) that came together to initiate this effort, and provided the resources to get it off the ground. Also, thanks to Peter Hsu and the many staff of the Florida Department of Transportation who have provided the “testing ground” for the TeenRSA Program, and who have provided incredible encouragement and support. Finally, our gratitude to the students and faculty who have worked with us to make this program a success, and who are truly our future Roadway Safety Advocates. Simply the fact that you opened this guide is an indication that you have an interest in roadway safety, and that you want to know more. You have come to the right place. Each year over 30,000 people die on our nation’s roads. The number is almost too hard to comprehend, particularly when you think about the terrible tragedy that family, friends and the community feel with every one of those losses. Clearly, more needs to be done. Fortunately, most roadway crashes are preventable, and all of us can play a part in changing these statistics. This guide will help show you how you can become an advocate for roadway safety and help save lives and prevent injuries.

www.teenrsa.org 2

TeenRSA Program Guide

Welcome Roadway Safety Advocates! The Teen Roadway Safety Advocates (TeenRSA) Program was started as a way to engage youth in improving road safety near their schools and in their communities. The program is modeled after a process that has been used for years around the world to systematically look at roadway safety issues from a multi-disciplinary approach. In “Road Safety Audits,” or RSAs, teams are formed to look at existing or potential roadway safety problems with a “fresh set of eyes,” often tapping into the personal knowledge of members of the community that may not have roadway or transportation expertise. In the TeenRSA Program, students provide the ”fresh set of eyes” to look at roadways they are most familiar with, including the roads, bike paths, sidewalks, transit stops and parking lots in and around their schools and communities. Working in teams with school and transportation advisors, the youth teams are challenged to take a leadership role in learning about these issues, documenting what they find, and advocating for improvements. Take the next step. You can make a difference. Help start a youth TeenRSA team at your local high school, help engage youth to get involved, or share this Guide with someone you know who shares a passion for improving roadway safety. The needs are great, but the rewards of empowering youth to make a difference, are even greater.

“You can see it takes a lot of people working very hard, very closely together to bring about change...and that change happens one student at a time, one person at a time, one driver at a time.” -Deborah Hersman Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

TeenRSA Program Guide

What is the TeenRSA Program? The Teen Road Safety Advocates (TeenRSA) Program is a national initiative that is aimed at empowering youth to take a leadership role in improving roadway safety. It is designed for high school students that want to be engaged in significantly reducing deaths and serious injuries on our oadways, but most particularly those that may occur in the area where they live and go to school. The TeenRSA Program also brings focus to an aspect of safety that many students do not always think of…the roadway. In this way, this program complements and builds on other road safety programs that emphasize appropriate driver behavior. The TeenRSA Program is built around a “Teen Roadway Safety Assessment” in which an “on-theground” review is conducted by a youth-led team of a section of roadway or intersection near the student’s school or in their community. This may be a roadway location where the students believe there is a problem, or one they want to evaluate to see if improvements could be made. As part of this program, a handbook has been developed that prompts the students to look at different roadway features and record their observations. Through this process, students not only learn more about the roadway environment, but also about how drivers and other road users behave in those areas. Based on their observations, the students collectively identify potential problems and develop their ideas for improvements. Finally, the teams are encouraged to take an active role is sharing their findings and advocating for improvements. A key to the success of this program is building a partnership with local transportation professionals and school officials. To assure this happens, the program envisions that every TeenRSA team will have two advisors, one representing each of these groups. The role of the advisors is to not only help point the students to additional resources or information, but also provide a link to others in the community. This guide will provide you with step-by-step instructions (and ideas) to help you get a TeenRSA project started. As we hear more about other projects (like yours!), we will update this guide to give even more ideas. In addition to this guide, there is an accompanying “Handbook for Conducting a Teen Roadway Safety Assessment” that will walk you through the entire process. In addition, resource material can be found at www.teenrsa.org.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Middleton High Sc hool

The first TeenRSA assessment was conducted in Tampa, Florida in February 2012. Ten students from Middleton High School took part in the review. Just months before, a Middleton student was struck and killed while crossing a busy thoroughfare on her way to school, and it was this area that was chosen for the review. The students noted many things that made the area a challenge to pedestrians, but most of all they simply came away with a real sense of caution whenever they are walking near traffic. Their assessment was reported in three local newspapers and two TV stations. Within weeks of their review, the Mayor of Tampa announced plans to proceed with roadway improvements to the area, specifically citing the Middleton student’s review.

“What I am going to tell the guys I know is that don’t ever think that drivers are watching out for you...you have to watch out for yourself all the time out there.” -Middleton High School Student

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Getting Started

Just like any trip, there are some things you need to think about before you hit the road. Most important, you need to know where you are going, who has the keys, who is going with you, how you are going to get there, and what you might need along the way (e.g., gas). Who has the keys? Nearly anyone in a community can be the catalyst for getting things started. If you have a commitment to helping others and a desire to make a difference, you can very well be the one to “hold the keys” to get a TeenRSA Program jump-started. It doesn’t mean that in the end you have to be the driver or leader, but it does mean that you are willing to put energy into getting others involved, and helping them get started. The following are some ideas about who can play this role, and how they can help get a project started. • For School Faculty – You may already know this may be the kind of program that your students would want to be engaged in, or you may already have a student safety club or organization that would be a natural fit for this kind of project. Unfortunately, a crash or road tragedy is often the catalyst that draws students to a program like this, and offers a way to translate the collective grief of the community into something positive. The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), one of TeenRSA’s core sponsors, is made up of a coalition of over 60 organizations (such as MADD, SADD…) that are already working with students in thousands of schools across the nation to improve safety; a link to these member groups at NOYS.org NOYS has a lot of material available for helping students get involved in projects like this, as well as national events that occur throughout the year to highlight youth achievements.

• For Transportation Professional – This program offers a great opportunity to get students interested and involved in transportation and give something back to your community. You may already have a natural connection to a high school where your own sons or daughters attend, or one where you have served as a coach or mentor. If you work for the city, county or state transportation department, or your firm has done work with a local DOT, you may also know of an area near a school that has had road safety issues, or where consideration is being given to making changes. If you belong to a local chapter of a professional organization, you may want to think about how your chapter could organize and make this a community-wide project. 8

TeenRSA Program Guide

Regardless of how you decide to get involved, your next stop should be a chat with the school administration. As noted above, it is important to get the school leadership on-board as early as possible, and look for their help in getting an advisor, counselor or teacher assigned to work with you.

• For Parents – There is a special bond that can grow between students and parents when they work together on a project like this. It may be something your teens express interest or concern about, or it may be something that you want to ask them about. It may also be a chance to tie your work with a community project regardless of what field you work in… transportation touches everyone’s lives in one way or another. • For Students –Every person can make a difference. It can begin with one person who has an idea, a concern or a passion. Yes, there are many ways you can express that, but it is likely that the safety of your friends and family are high on your priority list. For students, this program will give you a chance to translate that priority into action. You may already be part of a club or team involved in safety related projects, or why not start one now?! There are a lot of folks that want to help you succeed, starting with your own school advisors and teachers. Talk to them first and get their suggestions about how to get started.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Recruiting a Team!

Although anyone can be the catalyst for getting a TeenRSA project started, it is going to take a team to get things moving. A team not only helps build momentum and bring energy to this work, it also assures that there is a good mix of ideas and expertise being put behind this effort. This guide and the program are based on having three key “ingredients” on your team: energized students, a school advisor, and a transportation resource advisor. • Students – As mentioned before, many schools have student chapters of organizations focused helping teens make better decisions, including roadway safety. This is a natural place to begin talking with students and recruiting youth. However, if there is not an existing group, there is no reason why you can’t start a new TeenRSA group specifically focused on roadway safety. Find students that have a shared interest or who want to take on a community service project like this. Finally, think about other ways you might be able to find students interested in this program…talk to the student advisors, the principal, or the student government officers. How many students do you need on the team? To reasonably get this project done, it would probably be good to have at least four students involved. What we have found is that an ideal review team has about 6 students. If you have more than eight, you may want to consider breaking the group into smaller teams that can look at different areas or problems. What kind of students should be on the team? Students with just about any interest can contribute to a TeenRSA project. Those that are good at science and math, can help look at the technical aspects of a project…those with writing skills can help document findings…those with an interest in law and enforcement can help evaluate compliance on the road…those with an art interest can help photograph the area and develop the report. There are many other opportunities, and for this reason, your team will be unique. However, the one characteristic that all of the student team members must share is responsibility. Being out on a road is no place for people to fool around or be joking. Every member of the TeenRSA Team needs to act responsibly, watching out for themselves and others. • School Advisor – Again, in those schools that already have a roadway safety program or club, it is likely that they may already have a school advisor. In many cases this may be a teacher, a counselor, or a driver education instructor. The main thing is that they are the link between the students and 10

TeenRSA Program Guide

the school administration. Most likely, this may be someone that the school principal assigns or appoints to work with this group, or someone who steps forward to volunteer to take on this role. The school advisor can also be the avenue through which the team reaches out to find a local transportation professional who can serve as their resource. • Transportation Resource Advisor – There are a lot of details about roadway safety that may not be apparent to the everyday driver or pedestrian. This is why this program is really based on bringing someone to the TeenRSA Team with this experience. This member of the team can serve as a “coach”, helping the students understand more about roadway design and safety, and also helping them find answers to their questions. This advisor can also do a lot by simply asking the students the questions that encourage them to explore areas further. Ideally, it would be very helpful if the transportation advisor is familiar with the roads and traffic safety issues in the area. This may be someone from a local public works office or a Department of Transportation, or a consultant that is working in this area. They do not need to be an engineer, but need to know some of the fundamentals about roadway safety and design. Some of these may even be or have been parents of students, and have a natural connection with the school. If you don’t already know of someone, a good place to start would be the local city or county transportation office, or your local office of the State Department of Transportation. In addition, there are also multiple transportation professional organizations that have encouraged their members to get engaged in TeenRSA projects in their local communities. The key characteristic that is needed in the transportation resource advisor is someone who can relate to the students. This doesn’t mean they need to be “hip,” but it should be someone who is willing to listen to the students and can help them grow. Younger engineers and other transportation professionals have seemed to particularly enjoy working with the students, and have been able to engage them in the discussion. Once you have formed your Team, you will have all the “ingredients” in place to start your project. Ready to hit the road? First stop…pull out the map!

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Select a Location

Where are the biggest road safety problems near your school? Is it everyone rushing out of the parking lot after the last bell? Is it the line of cars dropping off students in the morning? Are there particularly challenging roads that students have to cross either walking or biking to school? Is there a turn or section of road where students have crashed before? Your first decision as a TeenRSA Team is what problem you want to look at and help address. This will determine what kind of preparation work you need to do and how you actually conduct your review. At this point you may not even be sure if there really is a problem or how big of a deal it is. That’s fine…part of this whole process may be finding that things seem to be working well. However, even “your gut” feeling is often a good place to start. There are three general areas you may want to look at first; • School Traffic – The roads surrounding schools are particularly dangerous at the beginning and end of the day. Students in cars are competing with pedestrians trying to get to class on time, and commuters are rushing through the area trying to get to work. The same thing happens in reverse in the afternoon. School parking lots, parameter roads, drop-off zones and school bus staging areas are all areas of potential conflicts. In larger schools, traffic safety issues can be as significant as those faced in a small town. Trying to understand these issues and look for improvements is a worthwhile effort in many schools. • Pedestrian Safety – Often students are walking or biking from areas miles away from the school. Their routes may take them through neighborhoods, commercial areas, crossing major streets, or walking around barriers. They are particularly vulnerable at dusk and dawn, and in areas where drivers (including other students) may be distracted. In a crash between a pedestrian and a car, the car always wins. These may also involve looking at transit service and where students catch and leave buses. Learning where these conflict points are and making them safer is something virtually every school could use. • “Hot Spots” – Sadly, many of our biggest safety problem areas are marked by flowers and memorials to those involved in road crashes. These may be a particularly bad corner or curve, a crossing where a pedestrian was hit, or the scene of a terrible crash. These crashes may have involved alcohol, drowsy driving or speeding, but they may also involve factors in the road environment. Looking at these “hot-spots” may help a school better understand how to make sure such a tragedy does not happen again. 12

TeenRSA Program Guide

It often helps to talk about these issues while looking at a map. Google maps and other apps are a great place to get good maps of an area, as well as the road network and terrain. One other thing to consider is how much your team wants to take on. You may want to focus on the traffic around your school, but just looking at flow in and out of your parking lot may be a pretty big project to begin with. Pick a project you can do, and do well. One of the things you need to be thinking about right from the start is the safety of you and your team while they are carrying-out this project, Anytime you are near a road, you have to be particularly cautious, and frankly, some places are simply too dangerous to study. The location you select needs to have adequate sidewalks or clear areas where your team can conduct your assessment. Sections of two-lane rural roads, particularly places where there are curves, often don’t have this kind pedestrian protection, nor do high-speed highways. Do not select projects in these areas.

Acceleration Acad emy In planning the TeenRSA projects with students at the Acceleration Academy in Orlando, Florida, the safety of the location was a major concern. The Academy is situated very close the intersection of two of the busiest boulevards in the area where nearly 12 lanes of traffic converge. The students knew how dangerous this intersection was, and what a challenge it was to cross as either a driver or a pedestrian. Although it would have been very interesting to study, the transportation professionals working with the teens simply felt it was too dangerous of a place to conduct the study. They instead helped them find a location where there were also issues, but where the student’s safety could be assured. Some of the things that they considered were:

• Making sure there were sidewalks available and that they were large enough for the Team to work from; • Making sure there was a place where the Team’s van could be parked (they asked one of the local apartment building owners for permission to use their parking lot) • Look for a place with shade where they could talk…it gets HOT in Orlando! When the students did their assessment, safety remained a key focus. Everyone also had on an orange safety vest, closed toed shoes, as well as a bottle of water and sunscreen.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Coordination

You have a great team and you now have a pretty good idea about what roadway you want to look at. Before you go much further, there are a few folks that you should make sure that you have touched base with. The main reasons you want to do this are: • These are people that have a shared responsibility for the health and safety of the students, and will be important to implementing any recommendations you may develop; • These are people that may have information or resources that will help you in your project; and • It is very possible that they may want to be involved and this would be a good chance to invite their support. As a minimum, these are some of the folks you need to coordinate with: • Local Police – The police can be a huge help in whatever you do. They not only understand the traffic problems in the area, but they are very much part of the solution…enforcing traffic laws, responding to emergencies, and educating the public. In addition, if the location you are looking at has had past crashes, the police may be the best source of information about those incidents. Finally, you will ultimately be “going out on the road” to perform a Teen Roadway Safety Assessment, and you may need the police department’s help when you do that. • Road Officials – Your transportation advisor may very well be someone from the local road department, but if not, they should be able to help you connect with the state or local agency that owns and operates the roads in and around your school. In some cases, those may be “local roads” maintained by the city or county, or they may be “state roads” that are on the network of roads and highways maintained by your State Department of Transportation. Coordination with these folks can help you not only get a lot of good information (see the next section on research), but they can also let you know of any improvements they are already considering in the area, or things that they have tried in other locations. Again, they may very well be a big help in actually implementing any recommendation you have.

TeenRSA Program Guide

• School Official – Your advisor should be a big help in keeping things coordinated with your principal and other school officials. This not only makes sense, but it can also help avoid a lot of headaches down the road (such as when a local newspaper reporter calls the principal to find out what they think of your project!). Again, your principal and other school officials have a personal interest in the safety of the students, so they will likely want to be engaged in this project.

“This program has really opened some eyes out there today. These teens never thought about a career in engineering or transportation. So I love it!” - Dr. Elvis Epps Principal, Acceleration Academy

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Resear

So, you have picked out what you want to examine, touched base with some of your key partners, and now it is time to start digging into the details of your project. In this phase of your project, the object is to learn as much as you can about the area and its road safety problems. Like most research these days, a good place to start is the internet. The following are some things you may want to try to track down and places you might look to get that information. Also, your team advisors and those you have coordinated with may know of some good places to look, as well. Some general sites to begin with are those of your local and state government. There is usually a lot of information there, and using some keywords, you should be able to locate something interesting. Another source is your local newspapers that may have articles on traffic and safety in the area. Keep an eye out for names…people you may be able to call and get additional information. In regards to traffic, these are a few things you may want to explore to better understand what is happening on your roads: • Traffic – Transportation designers and planners focus a great deal on traffic, particularly how many cars and trucks are on roads. This information, often called “traffic volume,” is a real indicator for how “busy” a road is. The other piece of traffic information that is important is how much traffic a road can carry. The biggest determinant of this is how many lanes are open to traffic. This is called “capacity.” Basically, a two lane road (one lane in each direction), is going to have less capacity than a four-lane road. When you put “volume” and “capacity” together, you get a real sense of how congested a road is likely to get. When you try to push a lot of cars down a narrow road, you are more likely to have problems than if you tried to move the same number of cars down a wider road. This is important to safety since cars and pedestrians trying to cross a very congested or busy road, are likely to have more conflicts and crashes. • Crash data – Many local road authorities maintain very good records of all the reported roadway crashes on their streets. This data can often give you a good sense of how many crashes have occurred and also how severe those crashes were. As an example, if there are many “rear-end crashes,” this is a pretty good indicator of stop and go traffic. On the other hand, if there are a lot of crashes that involve a single car leaving the road and hitting something, this may be an indicator of a speeding problem in the area.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Understanding Yo ur Community As you begin gathering information about the roadway section you will be looking at, it is also good to understand a little about the area, particularly where people are coming from, where they are going, what form of transportation they take, what time they travel, and what routes they use. This will help you understand the “context” of the road, and why there may be conflicts or problems. Although there is no set list of questions you need to answer, hopefully this will give you some ideas about things to look at. The Students • How do students get to school, and back home? (as an extra activity, you may want to do a survey as students come into school or as part of a class project!). • How do students with special needs travel? • Where does everyone come from? (Extra Activity – put up an area map and have everyone mark where they come from and how they get back and forth to school) • What time do students arrive and leave? • Do students go off campus during the day for lunch or other stuff? The Neighborhood • Are there a lot of homes/apartments around this area? Do a lot of students live in the area? • Is there a lot of commercial development in the area (stores, fast food restaurants, shopping centers, gas stations)? Do they get a lot of business when students are coming or going to school? • Are there major barriers to crossing this neighborhood (railroad tracks, a river, a freeway, a part of town no one wants to cross!)

Pedestrians (walkers, joggers, bike riders, skateboarders…any non-motorized way of moving) • Are there a lot of pedestrians in the area? • Are there sidewalks in the neighborhood? Bikepaths? • What streets do pedestrians typically walk down and where do they cross the roads? Traffic Flow • Is most of the traffic local or do a lot of people drive through this area to get across town? • How does the flow of traffic change during the day (example: heavy going into town in the morning, and the reverse after work; a lot of shoppers and truck deliveries during the day). • When there is a big crash or something blocks one of the main roads, how do people get around it? Transit • Is there bus or transit service to the area? Are there school buses provided specifically for students at your school? • Where do the buses stop (how far to school)? Do students need to transfer buses to get to and from school? TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Conducting Your Teen Roadway Safety Assessment

There is no better way to understand traffic and road safety than actually experiencing it. The core objective of the TeenRSA program is to give you a structured approach to “experience” the roads in and around your school, and through that, help you better understand what causes safety problems and what can be done to avoid or correct them. Again, one of the best ways to learn this is to see it for yourself. A separate guide has been developed to walk you through this process. The “Handbook for Conducting a Teen Roadway Safety Assessment ” puts particular attention on things to look at in the road, the sidewalks, the intersections, transit stops and parking lots that can impact safety. When conducting the assessment, our hope is to help you see things that you may have seen before, but perhaps not thought of in terms of how they may impact safety. Basically, to “train your eyes” to make you better Roadway Safety Advocates. Key points in the Handbook that are worth mentioning here: • Safety First!!! – Whenever you are near a road, you are in danger. Pay particular attention to the safety of you and your team, but also be aware of the distraction you may be causing drivers. Stay focused and don’t fool around. • Be Prepared – Make sure you know what you need and have it with you before you start your assessment; • Record – You will be looking at a lot, and may not be able to remember all the details when you are finished. Take the time to take notes and pictures to keep a record of what you see. Your Handbook is made for you to write in, so use it just like you would use a notebook. Your Handbook will give you a “prompt list” of questions to help you think about what you are looking at. Don’t feel limited by this list or feel that you need to answer every question, but use it as an aid to help you. Keep your eyes open and have fun.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

After Your Assessment

Once you have completed your Teen Roadway Safety Assessment, you will likely feel a bit overwhelmed. No doubt your team has seen a lot, recorded a lot, and learned a lot along the way. This is why it is important for all of your team to sit down together shortly after the assessment to compare notes and compare observations. It is also good to be able to look at the pictures you took (remember those!) to remind you about specifics. Your main objective at this point is threefold: (1) get agreement on what you saw; (2) define where you think there may be problems, and (3) discuss possible ways to address the problems you saw. It is a good idea to really look at these as separate questions, and not get drawn into coming up with solutions before you have a clear understanding and agreement on what you saw and where help is needed. As an example, problems with drivers not stopping at a crosswalk may be something that could be addressed with better signage or more visible markings, but it may be something that could benefit from stronger enforcement and education of drivers. Looking at the problems first also keeps you from getting too limited in your observations. As an example, did you look at the drivers passing through the area? Were they distracted? Were they talking on cellphones? Were they speeding? This may not be what you planned on observing, but it is important information to keep in mind as you look for ways to improve safety. As an examples, if you did see a lot of drivers on cellphones, this may be a concern you want to bring up with the students at your school to inform them of the risks associated with distracted driving (Hint: there is some great material at www.noys.org to help you take on issues like this.) Developing ways to effectively address roadway safety problems is a challenge transportation professionals face each and every day. Sometimes a problem may be obvious, but the solution may be trickier to find, or correcting one problem may have unintended consequences that create another issue. Your Team’s Transportation Advisor can be a real asset at this point, particularly helping the team think through solutions and ideas. Some examples of things you may want to consider: • In some area areas, even low-cost improvements can make a real difference, such as; • Cutting back vegetation to give drivers a clearer view of pedestrians and other vehicles; • Providing better signs and markings to improve driver awareness in the area; • Changing the signal timing to provide students with more time to cross an intersection; • Improve sidewalks so students don’t need to walk in the street.

TeenRSA Program Guide

• Education and information may be good way to alert your fellow students about what you learned and things they can do to avoid safety risks. It may also be a way to help them focus on their own habits, whether it is their driving behaviors or things they do as pedestrians; • Community outreach is also a way to remind drivers in the area about the fact that students are back in school and they need to pay particular attention to certain problem areas. Reaching out into the community you may find that local homeowners and businesses share your same concerns and want to help bring about a change. • When it is apparent that people are simply ignoring the law, targeted enforcement campaigns done with the local police and community can be very effective in bringing drivers back into compliance, and changing their views about what is or isn’t acceptable behavior. These are just a few examples, but as you begin to look closely at the roadway, it is likely that your team will see other opportunities for safety improvements. Just remember, the bigger the solution, the more complicated it will be to implement. As an example, actual changes to a road (such as adding a turn lane or redesigning an intersection), may require the state or city to further analyze the problem, and develop plans for a construction project. This can take money and time. However, it may be your review that raises the question, or leads to a more comprehensive study of the issues. Even that would be a huge step forward!

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Share Your Story

Once you have agreed on the main problems you have seen, and have some ideas about what could be done to correct those problems, it is time to start communicating what you have learned and building support for action. As mentioned before, one of your first stops should be the school’s leadership. They will likely be excited to hear what you have learned, but also to hear your thoughts on what could be done to improve safety. It is possible that some of these may be things that could be done right within the school (e.g., better markings in the parking lots, wider sidewalks near the bus stops, or a safe place to keep a bike). Other ideas you have will likely be of interest to others, so you need to think about how to share “your story” with them as well. Think about whom you want to reach and who could help actually implement these changes. Some thoughts on how to share your story. • Post pictures of what you saw on a bulletin board in your school, highlighting some of the areas where you saw concerns and letting other students know about where they need to exercise caution. • Put together a PowerPoint presentation with your observations and recommendations. This is something that you could use to discuss your project with your school’s leadership, the local school board, or the local road authorities. • Get articles in your school’s newspaper talking about the project and how other students can get involved. • Make a video of what you learned, possibly even giving a “virtual tour” of the roads you looked at. (Hint: there are some teen safety competitions that you could enter with your video; again, check-out the NOYS website).

TeenRSA Program Guide

Although many of your ideas may require the school or local road authoritiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; help to implement, think about what your team might be able to do on its own. As an example, perhaps you want to reduce congestion in your school parking lot, and encourage more people to ride bikes. Solution: organize a bike safety program or distribute a map of all the bike paths in your area. Or, maybe you see the danger of students crossing through intersections wearing their earphones. Solution: organize an education program at your school to let people know about these risks, or recognize people who pledge to not jay-walk.

TeenRSA Program Guide

Step

Becoming a “Roadway Safety Advocate”

Your team has done a lot. There is no doubt that you have not only learned more about highway safety, but it is possible that you will never look at a roadway the same again. Whether you are a driver or pedestrian, passenger or peddler, you will hopefully think about your own actions and how you can not only keep yourself safe, but also how you can protect the safety of others with whom you share the roadway. There is also the possibility that this may have sparked your interest in the entire field of safety, and you may want to consider learning more, or even pursuing a career in this area. The possibilities to contribute are almost limitless…emergency response specialists, engineers, enforcement officers, educators, marketing and media professionals, judges…the list goes on. Basically, there are many career opportunities where you could keep contributing to roadway safety, or where you can make a difference in people’s lives as they travel each and every day. But even if you do not plan to go into a career directly related to road safety, don’t ever lose your passion for being a “Roadway Safety Advocate.” Every person that participates in the TeenRSA program will take away their own lessons and memories. However, hopefully the one common thing every participant will carry away from this experience is a stronger awareness of roadway safety and a stronger commitment to stay safe.

TeenRSA Program Guide

What Do You Think? We would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on how we can keep improving this program. Share your ideas, or even “your story” from your TeenRSA project. Just log onto www.teenrsa.org and send us your comments. Thanks in advance!

The content of this Guide is copyrighted by the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS); please contact them if you wish to use it in other material. The TeenRSA name and logo are also trademarked by NOYS.