Teens in the Driver Seat

A peer-to-peer safe driving program for your school.

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Nocturnal Navigation
The objective of this activity is to help students draw parallels between safe nighttime driving practices and nocturnal animal adaptations. By doing so, students will build on their ability to drive safely at night, make connections between nature and real-world applications, and engage in hands-on relatable learning experiences. This activity is designed to be quick and engaging, with minimal materials.

 Items Needed
  • Nocturnal Navigation playing cards from the TDS resource kit
  • Flat surface to lay out cards, preferably a table
  • TDS NIghttime resources like the Drive Bright at Night wristbands to give to players
  • Answer key for facilitating

 Steps
  1. Explain to participants the objective of the game and how it will help students understand the similarities between nocturnal animal adaptations and nighttime driving.
  2. Designate 1 – 2 people to be the facilitators and will lead the game. The facilitators will be responsible for the Answer Key and will confirm when the correct pairs are chosen.
  3. Separate the animal cards (dark purple) from the driving cards (light purple).
  4. Arrange the cards with the pictures facing up in a grid format on a table.
  5. Students will take turns picking an animal card (dark purple), reading the fact on the back, and then selecting a driving scenario card (light purple) that they think will match.
  6. If the match is correct, they will keep the pair and go again. If it isn’t correct, they will put both cards back and the next player goes.
  7. The game continues until all matches have been found.

Don’t Forget
  • After the game, ask students to share what they learned about the similarities between nocturnal animal adaptations and safe nighttime driving practices. Encourage them to think about how these strategies can be applied in real-life driving situations.
  • Complete an activity form on t-driver.com for TDS All-Star credit.

 Make it GREAT
  • Timer: For timed challenges to add excitement
  • Small Prizes: Optional, for added motivation
  • Divide Into Teams: Split students into small teams of 3-4. This encourages collaboration and discussion.