ASIRT Resources

ASIRT provides resources for everyone involved in the education abroad experience. The materials address the specific needs of program administrators, faculty, on and off-site staff, parents and students. These tools incorporate road safety as a core component of program and itinerary planning and include pre-departure and on-site training for staff and students. User-friendly materials are available on-line, and can be distributed, for use on campus, and on-site. ASIRT offers hands-on, interactive and customized training for campus and program professionals. See below for a summary of strategies and resources geared to each group.

Program Administrators

Parents

Students

For Program Administrators:

ASIRT aims to raise awareness among professionals of the importance of making road safety a priority when planning itineraries and programs. ASIRT materials provide program administrators with an understanding of the causes of road crashes offer effective strategies to reduce road travel risks. Factors involved in road crashes include human error (as drivers or pedestrians), poor roads and conditions and faulty vehicles. Strategies include the development of road safety guidelines, safety preparedness training and student orientation. ASIRT provides the following resources to help professionals:

• Global Road Safety Toolbox for the Study Abroad Community: This 100-page manual provides professionals with useful guidelines to plan road safe itineraries and programs, train on and off-site faculty and prepare students to make safe, informed choices while studying abroad. The Toolbox includes numerous user-friendly checklists for program administrators to ensure that vehicles and drivers meet safety standards; and to enable students to make safe choices as pedestrians and passengers of buses, taxis and private vehicles.
• Road Travel Reports: ASIRT’s user-friendly Road Travel Reports on 150 countries describe general road conditions; frequent road crash sites; national road safety statistics; driver behaviors; driving regulations; urban, rural, night, and seasonal travel precautions; pedestrian, passenger and cycle safety tips; quality and availability of emergency medical care, emergency procedures and contact information.
• Seminars: ASIRT offers road safety training seminars to study abroad professionals and students. These highly acclaimed workshops are tailored to the specific needs of the participants, and include strategies and best practices to incorporate road safety training into program and itinerary planning and student pre-departure, campus and on site orientations. Participants receive materials excerpted from the toolbox including checklists, role playing scenarios and sample Road Travel Reports.
• Speak up for Safety Cards: Wallet-sized cards that include important road safety phrases in Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and English.
• Safety Checklists: A comprehensive list of road safety precautions that program administrators should take when planning a trip.

For Parents:

Families play an important role in developing students’ sense of personal responsibility for their own safety. Parents can stress the importance of becoming informed about the specific conditions, driver behaviors and existing regulations in host countries, and participate in the road safety education of their student travelers. Parents can advocate on behalf of their children for road safety pre-departure orientation and on-site training. Families can access ASIRT’s Road Travel Reports and other safety resources on-line. Finally, families can encourage the study abroad program administrators to become ASIRT Study Abroad members, and avail themselves of the many useful resources, including Road Travel Reports, Speak up for Safety cards and ASIRT’s Safety Checklists.

For Students:

The study abroad experience can be an invaluable opportunity to gain an understanding of and appreciation for the diverse people and cultures of the world away from home. While many decisions are made by professionals and parents, students have many opportunities to make their own choices about matters that relate to their personal safety. ASIRT’s resources can help students make informed choices about how, when, where and with whom to travel, both on and off-site. The resources also provide students with decision-making tools and strategies when encountering uncomfortable, potentially unsafe situations. See complete list of resources, including Road Travel reports, checklists and safety cards.

ASIRT’s resources are available to Education Abroad Members. For a complete listing of ASIRT’s road safety resources for individual and corporate travelers, as well as Education Abroad Members, see “Resources and Publications”.