A new program offering Year 10 high school students across the ACT a free road safety course has been launched by the Minister for Road Safety, Shane Rattenbury.
Mr Rattenbury said the one-day Road Safety Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program was a series of six interactive workshops which would help students develop and practice skills to respond positively to challenges on the road, both as drivers and passengers.
He said it was important that young Canberrans learnt about road safety from a variety of sources — driving lessons, the classroom and from family and friends.
“As a community we must provide opportunities which set up young drivers for a lifetime of good driving practices and help them understand the importance of road safety,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“RYDA is a practical and powerful road safety education program that helps high school students lay the foundation for safe road use throughout their lives.”
He said trained facilitators, community groups and local police worked with 16-to-18 year olds who were approaching that crucial time in their lives where they started to drive independently or were travelling as passengers with young drivers.
“The RYDA program is delivered nationwide each year to more than 50,000 high school students. Since it began in 2004 RYDA has engaged with more than 500,000 students,” the Minister said.
“Across other States and Territories there has been a reduction in youth trauma due to extensive learner and provisional driver reforms and safer cars and roads.”
Mr. Rattenbury said that a total of 15 young drivers had been killed while driving on ACT roads between 2006 and 2017.
