Thousands of high school students will today witness the tragedy and life-long consequences of road trauma at RAC bstreetsmart, delivered in partnership with WA’s emergency services.
It comes as preliminary data from the Road Safety Commission revealed the number of 17 to 19 year olds killed on WA roads last year doubled compared to 2019 figures.
RAC bstreetsmart, which for the first time is running over two days, features a live re-enactment of a fatal crash, with personnel from St John WA, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA Police Force and Royal Perth Hospital, along with actors, demonstrating how emergency services respond and the impact on those involved.
RAC Acting Group Executive Social and Community Impact Will Golsby said the event is a powerful road safety message for young people who are about to start their journey of learning to drive.
“Sadly, an alarming number of young drivers continue to be killed and seriously injured on our roads every year. Bstreetsmart aims to reduce that number,” Mr Golsby said.
“It’s our biggest opportunity to deliver a crucial message to thousands of future WA drivers – that complacency and reckless behaviour behind the wheel can change your life forever.”
Students will hear first-hand accounts from various guest speakers and talk with personal from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, WA Police Force and St John WA.
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.
“All it takes is a fraction of a second, a small distraction, a moment, that will change your life forever,” Mr Pike said.
“I had friends, I had both my feet, and just like that all those things were gone! Driving requires all your attention, 100 per cent of the time.”
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Acting Superintendent Operational Delivery Craig Edmonds said engaging the community through events like bstreetsmart was a key part of reducing the frequency of crashes on Western Australian roads.
“Sadly, traffic crashes are far too common in our community and in 2020, firefighters responded to more than 350 crashes that required rescue, release, or extrication in Western Australia,” A/Superintendent Edmonds said.
“These incidents can have a lasting impact on the people involved and more often than not they’re preventable. Programs like bstreetsmart are an important tool to help the public understand the importance of road safety.”
WA Police Force State Traffic Commander Mick Sutherland said the event was an important opportunity to educate novice drivers about the risks they will encounter on our roads.
“Every day, our officers target behaviours which can lead to serious and fatal crashes on our roads, including speeding, impairment by drugs and alcohol, inattention through mobile phone use and failure to wear a seatbelt,” State Traffic Commander Sutherland said.
“However, all road users must ensure that they are not complacent when driving on our roads, even when they are complying with the law.”
WA State Director of Trauma Services at Royal Perth Hospital Dr Sudhakar Rao said he far too regularly sees the consequences of risky driving.
“As front line hospital workers, it is always sad to see on-going risk taking behaviour on the roads. One split second wrong decision can have such long-term detrimental outcomes for everyone involved in a motor vehicle accident,” Dr Rao said.
For the first time, students will also hear from guest speaker Julian Pace, CEO of Happiness Co., about overcoming peer pressure and the importance of the decisions they make.
“This is about giving them tools to understand how they feel and how their behaviour matters,” Mr Pace said.
“We want to help our youth raise their voices, not so that they can shout, but so they can start to create positive change around peer pressure.”
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Media contact: Mikayla Wearne, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
