RAC’s Community Education team is visiting schools in the Wheatbelt next week to educate students and young drivers about staying safe on the roads.
RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Will Golsby, said the visit is part of working with the community to reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in the region through consistent education and awareness.
“Tragically, 18 loved ones have already died on Wheatbelt roads this year; four more than the total lives lost in the region in 2015,” Mr Golsby said.
“The Community Education team teaches students about the importance of safe driving and being a responsible passenger, as well as the effects of alcohol, speed and reckless behaviour.”
Last year, 161 people died in road crashes in Western Australia and 53 per cent occurred on country roads.
In the same year, the Wheatbelt road fatality rate was six times the Perth metropolitan rate, four times the state rate and well above nearby regions.
“We want to ensure the next generation of drivers have a good understanding of road safety and the consequences of bad decisions,” Mr Golsby said.
“The impact of road trauma is devastating and the continued loss of lives and serious injuries occurring on our roads only reinforces the importance of educating young drivers.”
The Community Education team’s visit complements the work of the Elephant in the Wheatbelt, a life-sized African elephant sculpture made out of crashed cars, which has spent 18 months travelling around the region to break the silence about the devastating impact of road trauma and replace myths about road safety with fact.
RAC recently launched the next stage of its five year campaign – #ItsMyElephant – encouraging Wheatbelt communities to share, support and implement their own road safety initiatives.
RAC’s Community Education team will visit Beverley DHS, Boddington DHS, Brookton DHS, Corrigin DHS, Katanning SHS, Narrogin SHS, Wagin DHS and WA College of Agriculture Narrogin.
The presentations are tailored according to the needs of local schools and 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 450,000 students since 2002.
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RAC’s Community Education team is visiting schools in the Wheatbelt next week to educate students and young drivers about staying safe on the roads.
