Case Study:
Crash Course
Overview of the approach
Crash Course was an educational course offered in Staffordshire as an alternative to
prosecution for the offences of using a mobile phone while driving and failure to wear a
seatbelt. It was also offered to 16-18 year old school and college students in Staffordshire and
Stoke-on-Trent, and to groups of employees throughout the UK in slightly different formats. Crash Course is not
being used for any of these groups currently, although this may be reviewed in the future.
Crash Course was presented by those with personal experience of the issues being discussed, including a police
officer, a representative of the fire and rescue service, a prison officer, a family liaison officer, and a road crash
victim. It also contained multi-media clips including an offender currently in prison for causing death by dangerous
driving while using his phone, as well as images of real crashes. The offence of using a mobile phone was
discussed alongside other offences including failure to wear a seatbelt and speeding. Hands-free mobile phone
use also featured.
The course relied to a significant extent on ‘fear-based’ inputs (see p68), although a ‘rational information’ approach
(see p70) was also used for covering issues such as the law and statistics about mobile phone use. The audience
was largely passive throughout (discussion or group work was not a part of the provision) and no follow-up work
was conducted with participants.
Evaluation of Crash Course¹ has shown it to be useful in producing attitudinal and (self-reported) behaviour change,
and identified interesting findings about how the course changed attendees’ views about roads policing. As with
most courses of this type, it is a challenge to deal with the significant emotions that the content can generate,
particularly when the audience is likely to be driving home as soon as the course ends.
¹ Savigar, L. (2016). How can education be used to influence road safety attitudes and behaviours? An exploration of Crash Course as a diversion from
prosecution and as road safety training for employees: Report for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire – December 2016.
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