More than 150 high school students from Geelong kicked off Yellow Ribbon National Road Safety Week by learning how to become safer drivers.
Students at Geelong Lutheran College and Belmont High School spent the first day of National Road Safety Week taking part in RYDA, an award-winning practical education program developed by Road Safety Education Limited (RSE).
Students from Saint Ignatius College Geelong will also take part in the program later this month, as the RYDA program continues to grow in the Geelong area.
The RYDA program, which aims to provide road safety education to more than 40,000 senior high school students nationally every year, is sponsored by Boral, as part of the company’s commitment to safety and supporting the communities in which it operates.
The program challenges students to change the way they think about road safety and gives them the tools and knowledge they need to stay safe on the roads, as drivers and as passengers.
As part of the workshops, students look at road safety from the perspective of other road users, exploring the different challenges that each face.
President & CEO of Boral Australia, Wayne Manners, said Boral takes its road safety responsibilities very seriously.
“Boral has a long proud history of supporting the communities where we operate. Our partnership with RSE is an opportunity to support young people to become safer drivers,” Mr Manners said.
“Boral is committed to achieving Zero Harm across all our operations, including our drivers, on public roads. We have a strong focus on safety and training for our drivers, but a vast majority of fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles are not caused by the driver of the heavy vehicle.
“That is why we have joined forces with RSE – to play a part in helping young people become safer drivers, which will result in safer roads and hopefully help to save lives.”
Since launching the partnership, Boral has worked with RSE to develop new educational materials that look at the challenges faced by heavy vehicles including blind spots, and stopping distances, and identify safe actions students can take when sharing the road with heavy vehicles and other road users.
The CEO & Managing Director of RSE, Terry Birss, said the organisation is delighted to partner with Boral and is deeply appreciative of Boral’s significant commitment to the RYDA program since 2018.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility and making our roads safer requires the support of organisations such as Boral,” Mr Birss said.
“While road trauma levels have declined over the years, the annual economic cost of road crashes in Australia is estimated at $27 billion, and the social impacts are devastating.
“By joining the RYDA family, Boral and RSE will work towards their goal of achieving zero harm and educating all novice drivers and their passengers on road safety.”
Media inquiries: Lucy Wigney (Cannings Strategic Communications) +61 438 960 201
About Road Safety Education
Road Safety Education Limited (RSE) is a not for profit organisation committed to saving lives through the provision of world class road safety education to youth.
RSE Contact: Jane Ward, Media & Communications Coordinator +61 407 161 789