Gary Halliday posted on April 21, 2010 12:19
RYDA – Rotary Youth Driver Awareness
There are two RYDA days, for local High Schools coming up in May and we need volunteers to help out at Penrith, it is a pretty full day, from 8:30 a.m.to about 3 p.m.
The dates we need to cover are; Tuesday, 11 May 2010; and Thursday, 13 May 2010.
What is RYDA?
The Program targets “awareness” and “attitudinal change” and seeks to encourage year 11 students, who are on the verge of driving or at least who are actively thinking about it, to take a more responsible attitude to motoring. The inclusion of passenger empowerment (and not driver strategies alone) is an example of the broad approach to the course content. Comprising six sessions, it is a one-day event held at a non-school site. It co-ordinates the efforts of local road safety experts, driving instructors, the Police, recovering victims of road crashes, drug & alcohol educators and financial services personnel in such a way that students are made aware of the privilege and responsibilities of owning and driving a motor vehicle.
Schools often find it difficult to assemble a community of experts to meet the schools’ road safety curriculum (Crossroads – Turn the Wheel etc). The Program enhances that requirement and forms part of the continuum of road safety education in our schools. RYDA is committed to maintaining the Program at the forefront of road safety development.
Students are cycled through 6 sessions in the day. Of the 6 topics, 5 of these are core topics as follows: Core topics:
• Stopping distances
• Hazard perception
• Safe celebrating & fatigue
• You choose - the choice is yours
• Police
• Accidents do happen - Personal stories from road crash victims Non-Core topic: Financial and legal responsibilities on the road “ Young people aged 17-25 years represent 12% of the population yet account for some 27% of motorists killed or seriously injured in road crashes” Source: RTA 2003
The fact that our young people are over represented in the road crash statistics is a community problem. RYDA seeks to be part of a community solution by encouraging all organisations having a responsibility for, and/or an interest in, the safety of our youth, to partner with Rotary.
The RYDA Program is particularly cost effective. Rotary provides many hours of volunteer labour whilst encouraging participation from other sectors, primarily police and the business and philanthropic community.
It is crucial that State and Local Government continue to play their part in the provision of support including through access to the knowledge based resources of the State Government, for example, RTA, Health and the Police.
The business community has already shown its wiliness to play its part in contributing to a community solution.
BOC Limited is RYDA’s principal sponsor with RYDA and BOC combining to offer the Program throughout Australia and New Zealand.
On a local level, Bluescope has come forward to support the program for all schools in the Illawarra district.
The State Government also provides a small amount of financial support but strong endorsement for the program. The key to continuity? With all sectors of society working together, the burden will not fall too heavily on any one sector. “Get involved – the person you save could be someone you love”
RYDA is an ongoing program operating at the International Regatta Centre and at the Homebush Tennis centre.
For more information and contact details, please follow the link below
www.rotary9690.org.au/Activities/YouthProjects.asp