SCHOOL DRIVING LESSONS
SCHOOL LESSON AIMS TO SAVE LIVES
GEELONG students will be among the first in the state to participate in a new schoolbased driver education program it is hoped will save young lives on our roads.
The State Government will today announce that all Victorian Year 10 students will be offered the chance to complete the new Road Smart course, which includes one in-class theory session, an in-car onroad driving lesson and online learning modules.
Parents will also be provided with education material and have the chance to join their child in the in-car lesson, while teachers will receive curriculum-aligned teaching material.
The new program, funded by the TAC under the $146 million Young Driver Safety Package, is aimed at improving young driver awareness and saving lives.
Young rural drivers remain among the most vulnerable motorists on the region’s roads. Over the past five years nine people aged between 16-25 were killed on roads in the Geelong area. A further 274 young people were seriously injured over this period.
The new program, which was piloted last year, will be available to all Year 10 students, with more than 200 schools, including Geelong Lutheran College, already booked into or participating in the program.
In the Geelong region, 21 of the 51 eligible schools are signed on to participate in the program so far.
Road Safe driving instructor Matt Bennett, who teaches the practical element of the program, said in-car sessions gave trained professionals the chance to “actively coach” young, learner drivers.
Mr Bennett said young drivers were often “fresh and open” to new ideas, but sometimes learned bad habits from uneducated supervising drivers.
“One of the things we do is use a coaching model and we also invite the supervising drivers to attend as well,” Mr Bennett said.
“One thing that comes out really strongly (in the sessions) is the importance of being aware of all other roads — motorcyclists, pedestrians and heavy vehicles.
“I am yet to see even one or two students who are not engaged in the program.”
Year 10 student Regan Shiell, from Armstrong Creek, said the driver instructor session was his first time behind the wheel with a trained pro- fessional.
Regan applied for his learner permit shortly after turning 16 so he would have the best chance of obtaining his licence on his birthday.
“It was a good experience to be able to learn from an experienced driver,” Regan said.
“They are teaching students to be safe on the roads.”
Road Smart is aligned with Victoria’s graduated licensing system which was introduced in 2007. Since its introduction Vicroads has recorded a 20 per cent reduction in the rate of fatal and serious injury crashes involving drivers aged 18 to 20.
Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan said young and in- experienced drivers faced the greatest risk on our roads.
“The new driving component in this program helps young people develop skills and strategies that will reduce their risk on the road,” Mr Donnellan said.
TAC road safety manager Samantha Cockfield previously said while the authority had investigated running longer-term driving classes alongside the school curriculum, it was not the preferred option at this stage.
“We’ve found the most important contributor to driver safety is the introduction of the graduated licensing scheme,” Ms Cockfield said.