Smart Choices, Safer Rides

Overview

Students examine how alcohol, other drugs, and prescription or over-the-counter medicines can affect judgment and motor-vehicle safety. They practice a simple decision-making process, refusal and negotiation language, and help-seeking strategies through age-appropriate scenarios.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Explain why using alcohol or other drugs can make riding in or driving a motor vehicle unsafe.
• Distinguish between appropriate medicine use, misuse, and abuse.
• Use a decision-making process to identify a safe choice in a health-related situation.
• Demonstrate refusal, negotiation, and help-seeking communication skills.

Success criteria

• I can explain at least two ways alcohol or other drugs can affect safe transportation.
• I can identify whether a medicine situation is appropriate use, misuse, or abuse.
• I can name my options, consider consequences, and choose the safest action.
• I can use a clear refusal statement and identify a trusted adult or professional who could help.

Curriculum links

• Kentucky Health Education: Health promotion and disease prevention, including medicine safety and risks associated with alcohol, other drugs, and motor vehicles.
• Kentucky Health Education: Interpersonal communication, including refusal, negotiation, and asking for assistance.
• Kentucky Health Education: Decision-making skills for avoiding harmful behaviors and establishing healthy behaviors.
• Speaking and Listening: Include visual displays and multimedia components to clarify information; gather and evaluate relevant information from print and digital sources.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and prior knowledge. Teacher displays the opening question in the hook and safety image: “Why might a person who feels fine still be unsafe to ride with?” Students silently write one idea, then share with a partner; clarify that the lesson is about safety, not judging or identifying personal experiences.

2. 5–12 min · Direct instruction. Teacher uses the medicine and transportation teaching slides to explain that medicines should be used only as directed by a parent, caregiver, or health professional and that sharing medicine, taking more than directed, or using someone else’s prescription is unsafe. Students complete the matching notes on the medicine and transportation safety worksheet and identify how alcohol and other drugs can affect reaction time, attention, coordination, and judgment.

3. 12–17 min · Check for understanding. Teacher presents three brief examples from the “Use, Misuse, or Abuse?” examples: taking a labeled medicine as directed, taking extra doses, and using another person’s prescription. Students show U, M, or A with fingers or response cards, then explain their reasoning to a partner. Correct misconceptions, emphasizing that a trusted adult or health professional should answer medicine questions.

4. 17–29 min · Scenario decision practice. Teacher assigns pairs one scenario from the scenario decision section or projects scenarios from the decision-making practice slides. Examples include a friend offering a vape before getting into a car, a driver appearing impaired, and a peer offering an unknown pill. Students use the steps “Stop, Identify the problem, Consider options and consequences, Choose, Act, and Reflect.” They record the safest choice, one reason, and one trusted adult or professional they could contact.

5. 29–36 min · Communication role-play. Teacher models a calm, assertive response: “No. I’m not getting in. I’m calling my parent or another trusted adult.” Pairs role-play one scenario, practicing a refusal statement, a negotiation or exit strategy, and a help-seeking statement. Students may pass or observe rather than disclose personal experiences. Invite two or three volunteers to demonstrate, and have classmates identify the communication skill used.

6. 36–40 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher revisits the final summary in the safety recap and exit prompt. Students complete the final three questions on the exit response: one risk of riding with an impaired driver, one safe action, and one sentence they could use to refuse or seek help. Collect responses to identify students needing review or private follow-up.

Resources

• the Smart Choices, Safer Rides slide deck
• the medicine and transportation safety worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Response cards or hand signals labeled Use, Misuse, and Abuse
• Pencils
• Timer
• Board or chart paper
• School-approved list of trusted adults and health professionals

Assessment

• During instruction, check student explanations of appropriate medicine use, misuse, and abuse and correct the belief that “natural” or unfamiliar substances are automatically safe.
• During scenario work and role-play, use a quick checklist: identifies the risk, considers consequences, chooses a safe option, uses assertive communication, and seeks appropriate help.
• Use the exit response to assess whether students can explain a transportation risk and state a practical refusal or help-seeking action.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “The risk is…,” “My safest option is…,” “I refuse because…,” and “I will contact….” Allow students to rehearse with a partner before speaking.
• Use icons and a five-step decision-making flow on the worksheet; read scenarios aloud and offer a quiet workspace or observer role for students with anxiety, communication needs, or sensory sensitivities.
• For multilingual learners, preteach terms such as prescription, over-the-counter, misuse, impairment, consequence, refusal, and trusted adult with visuals and simple definitions.
• Extend advanced students by asking them to compare two safe options and explain which trusted adult or professional would be most appropriate and why.