RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Will Golsby, said it was important to work with the community to reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in the region through consistent education and awareness.
“The statistics show in 2016, alcohol, inattention and careless or reckless driving accounted for 80 per cent of all crashes by young drivers in WA,” Mr Golsby said.
“Further, drivers aged 17 to 24 accounted for 21 per cent of the fatalities despite only making up 11 per cent of the population. Tragically, there have already been 30 fatalities on regional roads this year.
“The continued loss of lives and serious injuries on WA roads illustrates the importance of educating young drivers about the dangers of drink driving, using your phone while behind the wheel or driving tired.”
The Community Education team informs students about the importance of safe driving and being a responsible passenger, as well as the effects of alcohol, speed and reckless behaviour.
RAC’s most recent young driver survey showed despite 91 per cent of respondents thinking driving while reading or sending a text message is very risky, 55 per cent admitted to doing so.
“The results of our survey show that while young drivers recognise risky behaviour on the roads, many still engage in these dangerous activities while driving,” Mr Golsby said.
“This shows a false belief that bad things can happen on the roads, just not to them.
“We want to ensure the next generation of drivers has a good understanding of road safety and the consequences of bad decisions.”
During their trip, RAC’s Community Education team will visit Dalwallinu District High School, Wongan Hills District High School, Quairading District High School, Cunderdin District High School, Mukinbudin District High School, Kellerberrin District High School and Merredin Senior High School.
The presentations combine visual, factual and interactive learning activities in a road safety workshop.
RAC’s Community Education team travels across regional WA each year and has delivered road safety messages to more than 500,000 students since 2002.
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