Curriculum for the elective subject of traffic (TRA1-01)

Purpose

The elective shall contribute to help pupils, individually or as a group, strengthen the desire to learn and experience a sense of mastery through practical and varied work. Elective subjects are interdisciplinary subjects that contribute to comprehensive and contextual learning.

Road safety work in Norway is directed at eliminating deaths and serious injury from traffic accidents. Young people are overly represented in accident statistics and the government has set ambitious goals to reduce accidents for this age group. The basis for a good attitude toward traffic safety begins in the formative years and training is an important instrument in reducing the risk of accidents. The elective subject shall help develop knowledge about road traffic as a system and provide practical experience with suitable behaviour where road traffic is concerned. This training also has a long-term goal that aims to teach pupils to be responsible and independent road users.

The elective subject shall help pupils understand why we have traffic rules and what is meant by being considerate, attentive and careful. This subject will motivate pupils to communicate about and interact with road traffic. The pupils shall learn to evaluate road conditions and know what they should do to avoid accidents. The subject shall provide knowledge about safe motor vehicles, routines for dealing with accidents and livesaving first-aid. Learning in the subject shall encourage pupils to learn from their experiences as road users and act as role models for others.

The school shall also offer a wide range of methods to use in the different learning arenas. The elective subject of Traffic is an excellent opportunity for schools to cooperate with governmental transport, communication and road safety agencies. Part of the learning process must occur in trafficked areas and must include practical training with clear rules for a safe learning situation. The elective subject of Traffic shall take its point of departure in the pupils’ own experiences as road users, pedestrians, cyclists and passengers. Pupils will learn to demonstrate acquired competence through discussions and presentations.

The elective subject takes its main elements from the school subjects Natural Science, Mathematics and Physical Education and can include elements from Food & Health and Religion, Lifestyles and Ethics.

The school may organize a so-called Traffic Foundation Course (Trafikalt grunnkurs) for pupils at Year Level 10 or another course related to traffic safety. The elective subject contains all the components of the Traffic Foundation Course used as the first year of training to acquire a driver’s license. The school may integrate the elective subject into the approval scheme for the Traffic Foundation Course as the first step in acquiring a driver’s license based on existing rules and regulations set by motor vehicles authorities.