Initially to be offered in Auckland, Northland and Franklin District in 2008, RYDA plans to roll out the Programme progressively offering it nationally where there is a clear need.
What is the programme?
The Programme targets “awareness” and “attitudinal change” and seeks to encourage young people, year 11 students, who are on the verge of driving or 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 insuramce and financial services personnel in such a way that students are made aware of the privilege, cost and responsibilities of owning and driving a motor vehicle.
Schools can often find it difficult to assemble a community of experts to meet the schools’ road safety curriculum. The RYDA Programme assists schools meet that requirement with a view to forming part of the continuum of road safety education in our schools.
'Best Practice'
RYDA is committed to maintaining the Programme at the forefront of road safety development. In 2005, RYDA in Australia undertook the largest research into programs of this kind, headed by Dr Jane Elkington, a leading road safety researcher. The cost was fully funded by NSW Government.
What does the programme contain?
Students are cycled through 6 sessions in the day 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
Financial and legal responsibilities on the road
Continuity is crucial!
'15 to 19 year old drivers make up just seven percent of licensed car drivers, yet between 2003 and 2005 this group accounted for:
15 percent of serious injury crashes, and
14 percent of those involved in fatal crashes.'
Source: MoT May 2005 study
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 Programme is particularly cost effective. Rotary provides many hours of volunteer labour whilst encouraging participation from other sectors, primarily governments and the business and philanthropic community.
Government agencies and councils play their part in the provision of support including access to the knowledge based resources of Government, for example, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Transport and the Police. The business community has also shown its willingness to play its part in contributing to a community solution.
BOC Limited and New Zealand Steel Limited are principal co-sponsors of RYDA and they are combining with RYDA to offer the programme throughout New Zealand.
Other companies are also helping us - see our sponsors page.
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'
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