Risk Taking Staying Safe As Young Drivers Presenter: Powerpoint Templates

What does risk mean to you? What is risk? What does risk mean to you? Facilitate discussion with participants on “What is Risk?”   Write ideas on flip chart/whiteboard. Possible questions to assist discussion: What comes to mind when you think of risk taking? Are there some activities that come to mind for you? Are there certain things (components/aspects) that are always present in an activity that classifies it as risky?

What should be our definition of risk for today? Determine a definition of risk for today’s discussion.   Write the group’s ideas on flip chart/whiteboard. Narrow down the definition for your group if there are several ideas. Dictionary definitions of risk: 1. A probability or threat of a damage, injury, liability, loss, or other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and that may be neutralized through preemptive action. 2. The possibility of suffering harm or loss; danger. 3. One considered with respect to the possibility of loss. 4. To expose to a chance of loss or damage; hazard

High Risk Low Risk Activity   The following activity has the participants weigh out how risky they perceive activities to be. If you have a large room – use the space and have the participants move along a continuum of “High Risk” (on one wall) and “Low Risk” (on the other wall). Let them know that they can stand anywhere along the line. If your participants must stay in their seats, give each of them two coloured pieces of paper – one for high risk and one for low risk. They will need to hold up the appropriate sheet – in this exercise there is no continuum. Proceed through each of the following slides allowing enough time for participants to indicate their level of perceived risk for each activity. Reinforce that students are to imagine themselves performing each activity not the person in the photo. For each picture (depending on time) ask a student from the high risk/mid risk/low risk groups why they chose their place on the continuum. There are no right or wrong answers. You may want to facilitate some discussion of what you see: For example: In the past, students have perceived driving as low risk and serving fast food as high risk. When asked why fast food is high risk they say they can be robbed with a gun. Then ask – how many of you know someone who has been robbed working in fast food? Then ask – how many of you know someone who has been in a car crash? Is fast food truly as risky as students perceive? Another example: Students often identify driving in the city as high risk, and driving on the highway as low risk. However statistics show that collisions in urban areas are more likely to result in property damage or injuries, whereas fatality collisions are much more likely to occur in rural areas.

How did you decide whether the activity was high risk or low risk? Facilitate discussion around: Perceptions of risk Why one person’s risk is different than another’s How to change levels of risk (training, practice) Acceptable levels of risk

Why is driving such a risky activity for you? Inexperience 1 in every 5 new drivers will be involved in a collision during their first 2 years of driving. Repeat the importance of trying to log 60 hours of adult supervised driving experience before driving solo. The first real increase in driving skill comes after 1000 hours of experience behind the wheel. Skill and knowledge of how to react to varying driving situations only comes from hands-on experience and training.

Level of brain development Dramatic changes in the brain occur around puberty and early adolescence Frontal Lobe/Prefrontal Cortex Helps plan ahead Resist impulses Affects reasoning, motivation and judgment Gut reaction vs. reason and planning The last area of the brain to reach a stable state Not fully developed and refined until age 20-25 Cerebellum Changes a lot in adolescence reaching full structural growth by 15–20 years of age Involved in skilled motor performance and skilled mental performance Last to develop next to the frontal lobe

Attention Span Young drivers are highly influenced by distractions: Passengers Cell phone/texting Conversation Music Eating Goofing off Distractions outside of the vehicle (eg. boy/girl walking down the sidewalk)   Crash rates for young drivers are highest when there are other teen passengers in the vehicle.

Invincibility “It’s not going to happen to me”! It is common for young people to think “Not me, those things only happen to other people”. Overconfidence can be influenced by peer pressure. “It’s not going to happen to me”!

Alcohol & Other Drugs On average in Alberta, 1 in 5 drivers involved in fatal collisions have been drinking prior to the collision. This compares to an average of about 1 in 20 drivers involved in injury collisions. As the severity of the collision increases, so does the likelihood that the collision will involve a drinking driver. According to stats, male drivers between 18 and 24 years of age are most likely to have been drinking before the crash. Also, male drivers are much more likely to have consumed alcohol prior to a collision compared to female drivers.

Fatigue & Busy Lifestyles The effects of fatigue on driving: Drowsiness/micro-sleeps Impaired decision making ability Reduced problem solving ability Slower reaction time Inability to concentrate Automatic behavior Irritability Visual distortion

Environment The majority of fatal crashes (71.9%) occurred in rural areas. Hazards: gravel roads, road conditions that change with weather, soft shoulders narrow lanes poor visibility unmarked intersections speed animals equipment moves The low level of traffic in rural areas can persuade drivers to take more risks, like not wearing seatbelts, drinking and driving or running stop signs

Passengers & Distracted Driving Passengers increase the crash risk for new young drivers. The risk increases with every additional teen passenger. Research indicates that driver distraction contributes to 20 – 30% of all collisions. Distracted drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a collision than attentive drivers. Reaching for a moving object in the vehicle increased the risk of a collision or near collision by nine times. Insects in the vehicle increased the risk by a factor of six; reading, applying makeup, and dialing a hand-held device tripled the odds, and listening and talking on a handheld device increased the risk by 1.3 times.

What makes activities less risky? Buckle up Look first Wear the gear Get trained Drive sober Personal responsibility for managing risk:   Five behaviors that reduce risk in your activities: 1. Buckle Up: What does it mean to “buckle up”? Buckling up your seatbelt may save your life but buckles designed to protect you are everywhere, not just in cars. Buckle your life jacket, helmet and climbing harness too. 2. Look first: What does it mean to “look first”? Know where you are and what is around you. Looking first means stopping, thinking and checking out a situation before acting. Plan your route, check for obstacles and act only when you know what you’re getting into. Specific to driving: Check vehicle (lights, tire fully inflated, winter survival kit, roadside emergency kit) Road conditions Knowing where you are How to get where you are going before driving Avoiding distractions in the vehicle 3. Wear the Gear: When we say “wear the gear” what do you think of? Safety gear is designed for each activity. People who take their sport or job seriously know to wear protective equipment whether that gear is a helmet, kneepads, seatbelt, life-jacket or goggles. 4. Get Trained: Why is getting trained important in reducing risk? Getting trained includes job training, driver training, and training for a new sport. All of these can help you see where the risks lie and help you manage those risks. Learn from the experts! It is recommended that you spend 60 hours of adult supervised hands-on training before obtaining your license (AB Transportation Geared to Go) 5. Drive Sober: When we say “drive sober” what do you think of? Alcohol, over-the –counter and prescription drugs? What about illegal drugs? Can we include emotions and concentration in this concept? Driving sober means focusing on what you are doing free from the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving sober also means being 100% there when driving a car and/or ATV (distractions such as cell phones, loud music and lack of sleep)

Risk Taking Has Your Perception Changed??? Leave the students with this thought