- Cook
Labor Government's $63 million expansion of Road Smart State-wide set to
benefit tens of thousands of young people
- Rollout
sees road safety training available to every WA student in Years 7 to 9
- More
than 750 sessions across 146 schools this year to help build safe and inclusive
communities
- Cook
Labor Government committed to building safer communities
More than 23,500 high
school students across the State will be given an opportunity to develop a
deeper understanding of road safety thanks to the Cook Labor Government's $63
million investment to expand the Road Smart program.
The world-class Road Smart program aims to make
Western Australian roads safer by shaping young people's attitude towards
driver behaviour in the critical years before they get behind the wheel.
The expansion will enable
more regional students to participate, including those in the Kimberley and the
Pilbara for the first time, ensuring young people have access to vital road
safety regardless of where they live.
Delivered by the Road
Safety Commission, the Road Smart
education program provides high-quality road safety education for students in
years 7 and 8, while offering interactive role-playing through virtual reality
and other digital platforms for students in year 9.
Grants of up to $5,000
are also available exclusively to schools participating in a Road Smart
incursion to support student-led behaviour change initiatives to make local
communities safer.
Funding for the program
is provided through the Road Trauma Trust Account, that sees 100 per cent of
safety camera fines spent on projects that save lives and reduce trauma on WA
roads.
Schools can book the Road Smart KickStart and Interactive
incursions via the Road
Safety Commission.
Comments attributed to
Road Safety Minister Jessica Stojkovski:
"Road safety doesn't just start when you get the keys to a
car, and we know that young people are overrepresented in road trauma
statistics.
"By investing in our
young people to develop positive and safe driving behaviour at school, we are
generating one of the best tools we can in helping to save young lives in the
future, building safe and inclusive communities.
"I welcome this
significant increase in the many thousands of students State-wide who are
getting a 'kickstart' into learning how to make safer choices on the road well
before they get behind the wheel.
"Our schools do a great job in teaching students about life skills, and I
encourage more schools to get onboard and take advantage of this life saving
free service which is aligned to the WA curriculum."
