Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program, RYDA, saves lives and changes lives. With Australia's road toll on the rise and 60 per cent of fatal accidents occurring on rural and regional roads, we need all drivers to drive safely. Schools are the ideal starting place to give young people road safety skills and knowledge to make responsible decisions behind the wheel. Through the RYDA program, rotary clubs partner with local schools and facilitators, including police and driver instructors, to deliver workshops that teach young people how to critically think about the decisions and actions they take when on the road.

Just before the start of Queensland Road Safety Week, I caught up with some of the road safety champions involved in RYDA, including Steve Webb, Linda Harris and Lloyd and Anne Maddern, and I thank the local rotary members, police, RYDA volunteers and the facilitators and sponsors for all the work that they do in helping young people to learn to drive safely. So far, there have been 10,000 students who have participated in the RYDA program, but the most significant number remains unknown. That's the number of young lives saved who wouldn't be alive today if they hadn't completed the RYDA course.