During our health classes through out this term we have been learning about drivers ed, as many of us Yr 10s are approaching the age where we are learning to drive. In this course we went on an excursion to RAC, where they recreated a crash scene and warned us about the dangers of driving. When we returned, we were tasked with creating a campaign on an issue that causes accidents on the road. I chose to do distracted driving, specifically texting. For this campaign, I designed a poster that would ideally be placed on the back of busses, at bus stops and on road signs to help reach its intended audience.
| What were the biggest things you learned while at the RAC bstreetsmart excursion? | While on the RAC bestreetsmart excursion, we got to witness a recreation of a crash scene, just as they would be in a real incident. along with it, there were also a lot of guest speakers there retelling some of their tragic stories of road accidents. The biggest thing that I learnt whilst on the excursion is not to distract the driver. In the recreated scene, we know that the cause of the ‘crash’ was because the driver was distracted by reading a text. Before I wouldn’t have thought that this was a big deal, but after witnessing this, it really opened my eyes to how dangerous this small action can be. |
| What one piece of advice would you pass on to young drivers above all else? Why? | One piece of advice I would pass on to young drivers is to never be distracted while driving. This is the piece of information above all else because statistics show that young drivers are the most likely to be in accidents when others of similar age are in the car with them. This causes more crashes as when you’re with your friends they tend to distract you more a pressure you to do reckless things. So I would want to tell young drivers to focus on the road and if someone or something is distracting you ask them to stop or put the distractions away. This way I hope it can create safer driving for all drivers and passengers. |
| Write down a pledge that you will commit to when you start driving. Why did you pick these things to commit to? How will you stick to these commitments? | I, Anna, promise to always drive safely and make the safest decisions that will prevent accidents or harm to all. I pledge to follow road rules and constantly be aware of the consequences of fatigue and other factors. I will be a responsible driver who approaches situations in a calm, intelligent manner and ensure the safety of myself, my passenger and other drivers on the road. I picked these things to commit to as, creating safer roads and more responsible driving across Australia. I want to be able to keep my passengers and other drivers on the road safe and would never purposely put anyone in danger due to my reckless driving. I have learnt how dangerous fatigue, distractions and many more factors can lead to, so I want to ensure that I can do everything I can to prevent those consequences. To ensure that I stick to these commitments, I will check in with myself every time I am behind the wheel. I will ask myself ‘Are you in the right headspace and able to keep everyone safe’, I will strive to have control of any distractions such as phone and loud music. If I need a break I will ask someone to switch with me and my eyes will always be focused on the road. |