Title Of Lesson: Rural Driving Situations

Grade Level: 10-12

Materials Needed: Chalkboard or overhead projector

Objective of Lesson:

The student will be able to recognize dangerous rural driving situations that are influenced by: a) driver error, b) weather conditions, c) rural road design and road conditions, d) unsafe vehicles, e) natural hazards, f) farm machinery, g) farm/wild animals. Students will become aware of how to prevent or safely handle these dangerous driving situations.

Introduction of Lesson:

Rural roads account for about 40% of all vehicle miles traveled and over 60% of all speed related fatal crashes. As we look at these statistics how can we identify hazardous situations in our rural environment. How do rural roads affect them as beginning drivers? How many students drive to school on rural roads? How many of them have encountered dangerous situations on these roads ( deer, cows, farm machinery pulling in front of them, unplowed roads, road construction, etc.)?

Directions for Activity:

1. Divide class into small groups and assign group leader.
2. Each group will identify 5 hazardous driving situations.
3. Group leaders will list on board or overhead projector the ideas from the individual groups.
4. Use some of the examples they gave at the beginning, think of ways to prevent these situations or change the outcome.

Discussion:

After listing the hazardous driving situations, groups will discuss ways to prevent or safely handle the situations. After discussion, groups will present safe solutions to the hazardous driving situations to the class.

Discuss how many students have experienced any of these situations or something similar. Have they experienced any of these as a passenger in someone else’s vehicle? What could you do as the driver? passenger?

Have students identify dangerous options and what makes them so potentially dangerous.

Closure:

In closing we have discussed dangerous rural driving situations. We have seen that all situations fall into such categories as:

Driver error seems to be the major contributing factor in these rural settings.

Additional Activities or Resources:

All bicycle and pedestrian print and video materials, especially video, "Bystander Care" and HS-243, "Hey, Why Don’t You Watch Where You’re Going" (discussion guide) for drivers education course can be used by other instructors. These are available from:

Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation

Maps and Publications Sales

608-246-3265, FAX 608-246-5632

Activity for Rural Driving Situations

In your groups -