On Monday 16th of February, the Year 12s went on a RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) course. The course taught us how to minimize risks when driving and what to look out for. This is made possible by having a safe car which has a 4-star ANCAP rating. Brake assist, emergency braking and blind-spot warning are a few of the features such a vehicle will have and which lessens our risk of having an accident.
Part of the course was to do crash investigations, which taught us how to limit the risks on the road, such as limiting speed to lessen the intensity of a crash, roadside barriers so we don’t veer off the road, removing hazards on the roadside, airbags, etc. We also learned about scenarios to deal with the different emotions that could distract us while driving and songs we can listen to which keep us calm and focused. To prevent us from getting tired at the wheel, we learned how important it was to take regular breaks, not to drive for long periods and to get enough sleep before starting a journey.
Another lesson was about how our peripheral vision view works and how it changes when we are driving faster as we can only see a smaller amount of space and how to develop risk awareness. Being aware of risks means we can take part in limiting the dangers on the roads.
“RYDA made sure we knew about it more in-depth and made me more aware of road rules and safety that I would’ve looked past if it weren’t for the program pointing it out.”
Olivia Nhim Y12
Well done to all for taking part and getting involved.
Written by Makayla Whitbread-Edwards, Y12
For more information on RYDA, visit: https://www.rse.org.au/
