The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has unveiled its new Road to Zero regional schools road safety education program, a free mobile exhibition that will visit Victorian schools unable to attend the Melbourne Museum’s Road to Zero Education Complex due to distance or special needs.
Based on the Road to Zero space at the Melbourne Museum, a fixed exhibition that aims to teach students about human vulnerability, the role of speed in crashes as well as the importance of safer vehicles and infrastructure, the mobile version of this program will communicate the same key messages.
The regional in-school program combines eight of the engaging high-tech learning activities (featuring virtual and augmented reality experiences) available at the Melbourne Museum, enabling students to access this world-first youth road safety initiative.
Based on science, digital technology and the element of surprise, rather than shock tactics, Road to Zero aims to educate teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years.
Students can explore the science and physics principles related to road safety and why human bodies aren’t built to survive major impacts.
The program looks at different road user groups, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcycle riders and cyclists, and how we can work together to make our roads safer for all road users.
The mobile Road to Zero regional schools program is run by trained facilitators, who arrive at the schools with all of the technical equipment and props that make up the exhibition using a customised van. They set up an immersive, pop-up exhibition in the school hall, gym or other large space. Facilitators lead the sessions, with supervision and assistance of the class teacher/s or Year Level Coordinator/s.
Program sessions cater for approximately 30 students and run for up to two hours (usually a double lesson), allowing for up to three sessions to be run during a school day.
Road to Zero is designed for students studying Science, Health and PE (Year 9 and 10) or VCAL. The experiential/hands-on component of the program is complemented by a curriculum based learning program. Teachers can download free resources, including lesson plans and work sheets from the Road to Zero website.
The Regional In-School Program is free of charge. Excursions and general public visits to the Road to Zero Education Complex at Melbourne Museum are also free of charge. The program is part of the Victorian Government’s Young Driver Safety Package, a suite of education and training initiatives to reduce road trauma amongst young people.
TAC plans to run this mobile program for the next 10 years. To arrange for the Road to Zero regional in-school program to visit your school, call 03 8341 7150 or email roadtozero@museum.vic.gov.au
