Vital safety lessons for Qld’s youngest road users
Students across Queensland are set to continue to benefit from lifesaving road safety lessons, thanks to a grant for RACQ’s Education Team.
RACQ General Manager Member and Community Engagement Amanda Adams said the team is among 18 organisations to receive a share in more than $23 million, provided by the Queensland Government’s Community Road Safety Grants scheme, allowing the Club’s expert Education Team to continue to bring vital road safety lessons to classrooms as part of an ongoing partnership.
“From the Gold Coast to Coen and everywhere in between, last year alone we reached 69,000 students at more than 340 schools,” Ms Adams said.
“Regardless of whether they’re a driver, passenger or pedestrian, our goal is to positively influence young road users to help them understand the importance of safety skills and behaviours through our specially tailored programs.”
Ms Adams said the funding boost will help teams to reach more students in more locations over the next four years.
“Sadly, we know young drivers are a very high-risk age group on our roads and are often over-represented in crashes – especially young drivers in regional areas,” she said.
“That’s why it’s vital we continue to engage with young Queenslanders to help them prepare for the road ahead.
“Whether it’s empowering them to say no to getting a lift with a mate when they feel uncomfortable or teaching them about the consequences of drink or drug driving, our secondary school programs are designed to help young drivers and passengers make better informed choices.
“For children in Prep to Year 6, our Streets Ahead Program is all about instilling life lessons on being a safe passenger, pedestrian and rider.
“This grant will be essential in helping our teams continue to provide our award-winning content, both in classrooms and virtually, to help us reach young Queenslanders, no matter where they live.”
Ms Adams said the ARTIE Academy’s Driver Licence Program, which has been sponsored by RACQ since 2019, is also among the latest Community Road Safety Grant recipients.
“This vital initiative helps Indigenous teens secure their licence and become safer drivers – which we know has a positive impact on the students and their communities – so we are incredibly pleased to see this additional boost for ARTIE.”
More information about RACQ’s Educational programs can be found here.