This task was to create road safety poster targeting young drivers on one of the big 4 issues – Speed, Alcohol, fatigue or, distracted driving. After we did that we had to reflect on the RACbstreetsmart convention that us and many other Perth schools went to.

• What were the biggest things you learned while at the RACbstreetsmart excursion?

That safety should come first before anything else. It is your life that is on the line if something goes wrong so there is no reason to take unnecessary risks. It is quite simple to greatly reduce the chance of getting seriously injured or even worse by doing the small things. These involve road rules like always wearing a seatbelt and not texting while driving however there are other things that can also greatly reduce the likelihood of a horrible accident like trusting your gut. If you feel like something isn’t right, you should never put yourself in danger. At the excursion there were a few guests who came out and spoke to us about their experiences with serious car accidents. This was extremely affective in showing us all the impacts of making poor decisions just like they did.

• What one piece of advice would you pass on to young drivers above all else? Why?

One major piece of advice that the presentation encouraged us to follow was to always trust your gut. One of the guests that came out and spoke to us had been in a serious car accident, putting him in a wheelchair for life. His story was that he was partying with his brother and his friends, and they were going to another party. He called his mum to pick him up because he didn’t want to go to the next party however the people that he was with wanted him to go with them. He was unsure if he should have gone or not as he had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. He got into that car and got in a bad crash causing him to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. For young drivers and people who will be driving soon he recommended that you should trust your gut.

• 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?

My pledge is to always stay level-headed and not get distracted when it comes to driving on the road. This will allow me to keep myself out of danger but also keep other drivers on the road safe. I can stick to these commitments by keeping my phone on silent to not get distracted by it and to not get angry at other drivers. I believe that if I stick to these commitments, I will improve the safety of all drivers including myself.