Car Passenger Safety  #YOLO Performance in Education

On Friday, 28 March Year 9 pupils took part in a performance workshop on Car Passenger Safety. This workshop was commissioned by Lancashire County Council to assist in pupil education, to prevent the increase in car accidents which have impacted passengers.

The hour-long performance and subsequent workshop focussed on the importance of passengers in driver concentration and safety. The performance included three actors who took on the roles of Dad, Son and Daughter in a car and provided an insight into the family following a fatality from a car accident and its impact on a sibling and parent. 

#YOLO looked at how behaviour in a car as a passenger, especially wearing seatbelts,  can massively influence outcomes and highlights the responsibilities of passengers as well as drivers for safety.

The performance investigated the role of a passenger and their responsibility within a car to keep themselves safe and not impede or negatively impact the way the car is being driven. This is done by focusing on how a passenger can have a negative influence within a car by: distracting a driver with music, questions and technology (ie, mobile phones); or by encouraging them to speed; and finally the importance of seatbelt use at all times.

Lead Practitioner for Personal Development, Ms Smith, said, “The #YOLO presentation reminded young people that driving a car is a massive responsibility and they have their part to play in helping to keep it safe. By showing the consequences to those left behind, #YOLO encourages students to not only change their own behaviour and attitudes as a passenger but also to intervene when others display this behaviour.”