Developing a Seatbelt Safety Curriculum for ESL Programs

English as a second language (ESL) programs are taught throughout the United States at public libraries, schools, community centers, colleges, universities, and elsewhere. Most students in beginning-level ESL classes are recent immigrants, often from countries with different traffic safety practices. Data from the U.S. Department of Education indicate that ESL programs are the fastest growing component of state administered adult education programs. In 1998, Congress reserved funding under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) for integrated English literacy and civics education services recent immigrants and others of limited English-language proficiency. Integrated instructional programs and services incorporating both English literacy and civics education have included content pertaining to local and federal laws, transportation, employment, banking, and healthcare.

The AAA Foundation commissioned the Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas to develop a traffic safety curriculum that can be incorporated into ESL programs to increase safety belt and child restraint use among new immigrants who enroll in these programs. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning in Denver, Colorado, Texas-based ESL administrators, and it incorporates input from experts across the US and Canada as well as focus groups of ESL students and teachers. ESL instructors will be able to download the curriculum for free from our website later in the year.