More than 1,100 students across Bunbury will learn about the consequences of risky driving during RAC Project Road Smart at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre this week.
The event, held on two days from Wednesday 26 February, includes a filmed re-enactment of a serious car crash featuring real-life paramedics, firefighters and police who together demonstrate how WA’s emergency services respond and the impact on those involved.
RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Will Golsby, said an alarming number of young drivers were being killed and seriously injured on WA roads, with those aged 17 to 25 at a particularly high risk.
“Young people are often inexperienced and can be over-confident, a deadly combination made worse when driving in regional areas, where the road fatality rate is six times higher than Perth metropolitan,” Mr Golsby said.
“RAC Project Road Smart aims to reduce the number of young people being killed and seriously injured by educating them on road safety and the consequences of bad decisions.
“It’s an important opportunity to deliver a crucial message to future drivers in regional WA– that complacency and reckless behaviour behind the wheel can change your life forever.”
Students will hear from various guest speakers and participate in several road safety activities with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA Police Force and St John Ambulance. Through virtual reality, students will also see what happens during a rescue when they board the RAC Rescue Experience.
Robert Pike, who was involved in a tragic crash which led to the loss of three friends and the loss of his legs from below the knees, will share his personal experiences with road trauma on the day.
“My story shows how the attitude of ‘it won't happen to me’ can have lifelong ramifications,” Mr Pike said.
“I didn’t think it would happen to us, that I would lose three of my friends, or both my legs, but those are the consequences I have to live with.”
St John Critical Care Paramedic Tony Reynolds will also speak at the event and said being confronted with road trauma was a fact of life for WA paramedics.
“Working on the RAC helicopter we are often sent to some of the most horrendous and confronting road traffic accidents,” Mr Reynolds said.
“Obviously, there are physical injuries, but the toll of these injuries extends to the victim’s loved ones, emergency service workers and so on.
“In the smaller towns, that impact can be even more profound. We just want people to understand the devastating consequences of road incidents.”
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Media contact: Mikayla Wearne, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
