Where
is the Program offered?
An initiative of Rotary District 9680
(covering the area from Sydney Harbour north to the Central Coast)
the Program is continuing to expand from its initial base at St Ives and is
now offered in the following areas:
New
South Wales
Homebush, Penrith, St Ives
Central Coast, Illawarra
Bathurst, Bega, Cowra, Dubbo, Kempsey, Leeton, Moruya, Nambucca Heads,
Narrabri, Orange, Taree, Wagga Wagga, Young
Queensland
Mackay, Mt
Cotton
South Australia
Adelaide, Barossa Valley
Tasmania
Devonport, Hobart, Launceston
Western Australia
Perth
What is the Program?
The Program targets
“awareness” and “attitudinal change” and seeks to encourage
young people, year 11 students, who are on the verge of driving or at least
who are actively thinking about it, to take a more responsible attitude to
motoring. The inclusion of passenger empowerment (and not driver strategies
alone) is an example of the broad approach to the course content.
Comprising six sessions, it is a one-day event held at a non-school site.
It co-ordinates the efforts of local road safety experts, driving
instructors, the Police, recovering victims of road crashes, drug & alcohol
educators and financial services personnel in such a way that students are
made aware of the privilege and responsibilities of owning and driving a
motor vehicle.
Schools often find it difficult to
assemble a community of experts to meet the schools’ road safety
curriculum. The Program assist schools meet that requirement and forms part
of the continuum of road safety education in our schools.
“Best Practice”
RYDA is committed to maintaining the
Program at the forefront of road safety development. In 2004 RYDA undertook
the largest research into programs of this kind, headed by Dr Jane
Elkington, a leading road safety researcher. The cost is being fully funded
by NSW Government authorities.
What does the program contain?
Students are cycled through 6 sessions in
the day.
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Core
topics:
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- Stopping distances
- Hazard perception
- Safe celebrating &
fatigue
- You choose - Police
- Accidents do happen -
Personal stories from
road crash survivors
- Financial and legal
responsibilities on the road
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Continuity is crucial!
“ Young people
aged 17-25 years represent 12% of the population
yet account for some 27% of motorists killed or
seriously injured in road crashes”
Source: RTA 2003
The fact that our young people are over
represented in the road crash statistics is a community problem. RYDA seeks
to be part of a community solution by encouraging all organisations having
a responsibility for, and/or an interest in, the safety of our youth, to
partner with their local Rotary Club.
The RYDA Program is particularly cost
effective. Rotarians provides many hours of volunteer labour whilst
encouraging participation from other sectors, primarily governments and the
business and philanthropic community.
It is crucial that State and Local
Government continue to play their part in the provision of support
including through access to the knowledge based resources of the State
Government, for example, Departments of Roads, Health and the Police. The
business community has already shown its wiliness to play its part in
contributing to a community solution.
BOC Limited is RYDA’s founding
sponsor with RYDA and BOC combining to offer the Program throughout Australia and New Zealand. On a local level
businesses have provided support for particular RYDA Programs.
The key to continuity? With all sectors
of society working together, the burden will not fall too heavily on any
one sector.
“Get involved – the person you save could be
someone you love”
