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Crucial Crew
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In April 2005 Crucial Crew moved to its permanent home in the Lifewise centre at Magna near Tinsley.
It is supported by staff from Sheffield Road Safety, South Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, Ambulance Service and SHED (Sheffield Drugs Project).
At the Lifewise centre a typical British highstreet has been created within a large hanger-type building, this includes street furniture, shops, public houses, a park, a railway level crossing and telephone boxes.
Crucial Crew gives Year 6 pupils life skills to deal with and avoid a range of potentially hazardous situations. The children face real life emergency situations and learn how to deal with them, by reading the situation, acting sensibly or calling for help.
The Road Safety scenerio consists of the use of a car which is fitted with a brake reaction tester. The aim is to help children understand that a car cannot stop instantly. It is demonstrated that a driver travelling at 30mph takes an average of 23 metres to stop; 9 metres thinking distance and 14 metres stopping distance. This is linked with looking at ways drivers can be distracted e.g talking on a phone (either mobile or hands free) and what other things can slow driver's reactions down e.g drugs and alcohol.
The children learn that they are in the highest risk group for pedestrian casualties, traffic being the biggest single killer of 12-16 year olds and they are asked to consider why that might be. Finally they are shown the new puffin crossing and how it differs from a pelican and they cross the road using the puffin to go on to the next scenario.
This year over 5,000 children from 153 Sheffield schools will obtain this essential road safety training through the Crucial Crew experience. This represents 85% of the schools in Sheffield - we are aiming for 100% in 2008.
In the summer of 2007 the Lifewise centre played host to two special Crucial Crews.
The first, in August, targeted families from black and minority ethnic communities and was a great success, as was the second event in September that was aimed at the over 50s. It was organised by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and lasted for 3 days and included the road safety scenario which highlighted the dangers to older pedestrians. Other scenarios included personal and fire safety, home and Internet security, bogus callers and anti-social behaviour. It is expected that both these events will be repeated in 2008.
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