Fatigue is one of the four main dangers when driving. The above safety campaign was created to address the issue in a way suitable for, and aimed at, young people who are soon to learn to drive, are currently learning, or those in the process of completing their licence. It was created to be accessible, concise, and impactful – in the form of an Instagram ‘highlight’ or ‘story’, so that it would appear in a space relevant to young people.
In Reflection of the RACbstreetsmart Excursion
The RAC excursion provided a thorough and in depth view of what it is like to live with the consequences of your actions, or others’ actions while driving. This included the drastic impacts of risk taking, and the terrible and heart-wrenching pain of the wider community connected to a person in an accident. We had the opportunity to hear truly horrifying and disquieting recounts of personal events, such as a man who screamed as friends lay injured and dead around him with the lower half of his leg 20 meters away. The impacts on first responders was also covered, as well as those working in hospitals who need to provide both life certificates and death certificates.
It made a profound impact on myself and my peers, and gave us valuable advice to stay safe and think before we act. We learnt to never take risks while driving – distractions can kill. We saw this in an act out of a crash – friends were taking risks. One of them showed the driver something on their phone. These risky acts, combined with driving at night with low visibility, resulted in a crash with one person killed. And after seeing the saddening impacts this made on the killed person’s family, none of us who understood would wish this upon anybody.
Not all young people had the opportunity to go to the RAC excursion. So, as supportive peers, we can instruct our friends and tell them what we know. I would pass on this piece of advice: take absolutely no risks while driving, and don’t get into a car with someone who will. This is to avoid life threatening situations, severe injury, and consequent life inhibitors afterwards. A man who had become a quadriplegic in an accident talked about what that was like for him – is life has never been the same afterwards. To prevent other young people from making the same mistake, we can spread the knowledge we have gained from his powerful story.
When I begin driving, I will make sure to be aware of myself, my surroundings, and those near me. By being aware, I can hopefully avoid serious incidents – by being aware of myself, I can acknowledge when I am becoming fatigued and losing focus; by being aware of my surroundings, I can respond quickly to dangers and cater to external conditions such as rain; by being aware of those around me, I can move away from risky drivers, and not get into a car with someone who will take those risks.
Each time I am driving, I will strive to remember the RAC excursion, and the gut-wrenching tales of the people who spoke there to help me focus on being safe.
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