Car Safety Buyers' Guide
Work experience placement report by Ajinkya Bhalerao
Based on an article in Safety education: Autumn 2011
The charity Rathbone has claimed that a lack of workplace skills is jeopardising young people's chances of getting a job. According to its research two-thirds of the teenagers surveyed have never used a landline or sent an email. Instead of using the landline phones and emails the young people are more used to using mobile phones and social networking sites.
The research re-emphasises the importance of good quality work experience opportunities for young people. For two-weeks in July, Ajinkya joined RoSPA's road safety department supervised by Duncan Vernon and Lindsey Simkins to work on a project entitled 'Car Safety Technology: A Buyer's Guide'.
Ajinkya from Camp Hill Boys' School in Birmingham is a keen musician, but the project was designed to make the most of skills in his favourite subject of design technology: systems and control and his aspiration to study engineering at university.
Following the placement Ajinkya said: "I plan to make my peers more aware of the risks in activities they undertake. I will use my improved knowledge of car technology in helping me purchase my own car, and will perhaps include the guide as a reference on my placement in a university application.
The work experience placements (at RoSPA) are tailored to individual requirements, so that it can benefit those of varying skills. They offer a comprehensive insight into working life, including employee interview, staff meetings, task-planning, management and evaluation, and employee teamwork/social skills."
With regard to this project the brief was to produce a car safety buyers' guide which:
- Explains what the safety technology is
- Describes how the technology functions (not too technical)
- Outlines the safety benefits to prospective buyers
- Discussed how the technology may develop in the future
Ajinkya explained, "Car safety is a major issue people need to consider when choosing cars – your health and wellbeing are ultimately more important than anything else. Because of complicated names and acronyms, car safety technology may appear to be a daunting topic, yet rest assured there is no need to worry! This guide is designed to provide brief, simple explanations of some of the major car safety technologies available on the market."
His guide includes a car safety technology comparison chart and equates some manufacturer-named technologies to their more common names, and explains what such manufacturer jargon actually means.
Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA's chief executive, commented, "Really well done – this is great info, which will be very helpful to many people. 10 out of 10."
Acknowledgements