Case Study: Crash Course
continued...
Mobile:Engaged contribution
Knowledge exchange
The Mobile:Engaged team have had prior connections with Crash Course as one of the Mobile:Engaged team
completed a PhD based on the Crash Course intervention, some of the findings of which have been published¹.
The Mobile:Engaged team also met with the Education and Training Co-ordinating Manager for the Staffordshire
Safer Roads Partnership regarding the development of Crash Course moving forward.
Focus on safety
The core Crash Course presentation provides information relating to both handheld and hands-free mobile
phone use, rather than simply handheld mobile phone use, an approach which we would endorse. This helps
to overcome some of the issues associated with the law discussed on page 15-16, as it represents a focus on
safety over legality. Positive changes in attitudes and self-reported behaviours regarding hands-free mobile
phone use were observed in the evaluation.
Local, ‘real’ stories
Crash Course was very deliberately presented by a group of people with experience of the personal
consequences associated with driving offences, and this personal connection was made clear to the audience.
This was complemented with case studies of incidents drawn from the local area, using images and video clips
supporting those stories. Course attendees reported that they were able to connect to the information being
presented by comparing their own offending behaviour, sometimes even on the same roads, to the behaviour of
those featured².
Emotional warning
With the largely emotional and fear-based content of Crash Course, it is important to consider who the audience
is, as highlighted on page 67. Members of the audience may have their own personal experience of the issues
being discussed, as some attendees indeed reported 2 . A content warning is issued at the start of the course
itself, but should be provided before individuals agree to attend the course, whether that is groups of offenders,
employees, school children or others.
¹ Wells, H. and Savigar, L., (2017). Keeping up, and keeping on: Risk, acceleration and the law-abiding driving offender. Criminology & Criminal Justice,
p.1748895817738555.
² 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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