R4. Key Factors Influencing Awareness of Danger

R4.1 Issues focused on by parents, teachers and other authority figures.

All students, but the primary school children in particular, claimed to be given frequent talks on safety issues both at school and at home. Parents stress the importance of road safety, of not going with strangers and, usually but not always, of safety in the home - usually in the form of not being allowed to do things or to do things only under close supervision until the lesson is felt to have been learnt.

"At home my mum and dad tell me what is dangerous and either don't let me do it or show me how to do it safely... like checking your hands are dry before putting a plug in."
(F, 8-9)

Schools reinforce what is taught at home and also can broaden the areas covered. All respondents claimed to have had professionals into their school to talk about safety in specific areas, to have been shown leaflets and videos, and most had been given projects and work sheets to complete as a follow up exercise.

"We are told to do things. 'Do this. Do that'... Look, Listen, Live... be careful of people in the park in summer... Don't use drugs... Keep away from train tracks... Don't play with matches."
(M, 9-10)

Areas which seem to be frequently covered in schools include:

personal safety (strangers);
road safety;
electricity;
safety in the water;
gas safety;
fire safety.

At senior school the talks on safety continue, often as part of PSE, and tend to focus more on personal safety and social dangers such as smoking, drugs, contraception and AIDS.

These messages are reinforced by factual information provided by the media - most notably the news and features on programmes which are both accessible and with which they can identify.

R4.2 Issues Covered in the News Media

The news media play an important role in informing us about the world, about what has actually happened to people. It is largely perceived as impartial and accurate when dealing with events (as opposed to politics).

Consequently, items featured in the news can highlight specific dangers, usually by focusing on incidents where injury and/or death has occurred.

In doing so they often reinforce and 'bring to life' safety messages which the students have already received from home and school and can, to an extent, help counter contradictory messages received from peers. The Leah Betts death was mentioned frequently as a strong deterrent to drug experimentation.

"E and speed are too risky. You don't know what's in them. You do hear of bad things that make you think it's not worth it... like what happened to Leah Betts."
(M, 15-16)

"My brother takes them (drugs). They can kill you. Some people like him reckon it's safe but no, Leah Betts died."
(M, 11-12)

However, by concentrating on the newsworthy rather than the everyday, news items can cause some potential dangers to be over-emphasised in the audience's mind. Coverage of recent air crashes, the Dunblane massacre and BSE were often cited by students when discussing their fears.

"I never used to think twice about flying. But since there's been all those accidents I've become more scared."
(M, 15-16)

"You don't think about something till it happens. But TV and papers get things blown out of all proportion."
(F, 16-17)

On a more local level, stories of break-in's, robberies and street crime have the effect of heightening perceptions of risk to person and property.

"The news sometimes scares me. It makes me think we'll be robbed."
(F, 10-11)

However, unless coverage is sustained or is particularly shocking or is close to home, for most, the effect of news stores in heightening awareness tends to be fairly short term.

R4.3 Personal Experience and the Experiences of Those Close to Us

Personal experience is highly effective at increasing the saliency of a particular risk. A 'near miss' or minor accident in a car quickly brings home the possible danger involved in road travel for example.

"My mum drives me to school everyday. I didn't think about it as at all dangerous. But a little while ago a car hit us. We were OK, but the car was badly damaged and it could have been a lot worse. Now I am always looking out..."
(F, 13-14)

Having been bullied once, makes children more afraid of being bullied again.

Equally a close friend or relative being involved in an accident or contracting a disease closely associated with a particular activity reinforces warnings which may previously have been ignored and can result in changes in behaviour to avoid or minimise the risk of the same happening to them.

"Kids have an in-built, 'it couldn't happen to me attitude', but if it happens to someone close it makes them think."
(Primary Teacher)

"My aunt died of cancer. She smoked. It really made me think... If you see it on the news you don't think it'll happen to you. But if it's a member of your family, it's different."
(M, 15-16)

Such changes can, however, often be short term as the memory of the event fades and complacency returns.

For younger children, a relatively minor incident, such as a small house fire can be fairly traumatic and result in a disproportionate fear of the same happening again but on a larger scale. This was particularly the case for the less able, younger, children who tended not to internalise the fact that if sufficient precautions are taken the incident should not re-occur.

For children living in an urban environment, exposure to 'wanted posters' in the park heightens awareness of the threat posed by 'bad men' to their personal safety by bringing the danger to their doorstep.

R4.4 Issues Covered in Factual Documentaries/Newspaper Features

Most children watched factual television programmes of some kind. The older students, especially the more able, also frequently read newspaper articles. The stories featured in these, usually 'human interest' programmes and articles, can also serve to 'bring home' an awareness of potential dangers.

"On Children's Hospital there was this little boy who had been really badly burnt in the kitchen. It really made me think."
(F, 11-12)

Occasionally, for example with BSE, by taking a more balanced, less sensationalist approach, they can serve to lessen fears by putting news events into a broader context.

"They say now that only four or five people have died from it. That's not very many."
(F, 13-14)

However, this is usually only effective after the media furore and associated scare-mongering over an issue have subsided.

R4.5 TV and Film Dramas

Fictional illustration of potential risks are also effective in increasing their saliency.

Thrillers and crime dramas appear to feed the fears of particularly younger children, often to an exaggerated extent.

"After I saw Jaws I didn't want to swim in the sea because I thought a shark would attack me."
(F, 10-11)

On the other hand, by featuring accidents in normal situations 'realistic' dramas such as Casualty and even Peak Practice can highlight potential dangers.

"I don't normally think twice about turning on the kettle, but I saw an episode of Casualty where this woman was killed and now I worry about it. I still do it but I'm very careful"
(F, 10-11)

R4.6 Issues Pertaining to Personal Interest and Activities

Many of the children in the sample were involved in various activities which they knew involved an element of risk. Horse riding, rugby, hockey, swimming, climbing, cycling, skiing, even football were quoted as being potentially dangerous, in that you could be injured or injure someone else whilst pursuing them.

This awareness was derived from both the emphasis placed on safety by activity leaders and from having witnessed - at first or second hand - accidents occurring, be they sometimes only minor. Any accident, even if it is only minor, jolts one out of complacency.

"A friend of mine fell off her horse. She was OK but would probably have been killed if she hadn't been wearing her helmet... I'm extra careful now. I might not be so lucky."
(F, 8-9)