Groundbreaking Study into Youth Road Trauma

A groundbreaking study into the social impact of education on youth road trauma has revealed significant knowledge gaps in driver training in the lead up to gaining a drivers licence.

Youth road trauma is a critical public health issue in Australia and New Zealand with the combined cost of crashes for 17-24 year olds currently close to $6 billion annually and the social and personal impacts immeasurable.

The unprecedented four year study, released today was undertaken by national not for profit organisation Road Safety Education Limited (RSE), which runs the youth road safety awareness program RYDA.

“Given the enormity of this cost to society, the prevention of trauma on the road represents a vital public policy priority” said Road Safety Education Limited CEO/Managing Director, Terry Birss.

In 2012 with the support of partner Toyota Australia, RSE embarked on the study to measure the social and economic value created by the RYDA program in terms of impact primarily on participating students.

The study revealed an alarming gap in student knowledge in a range critical road safety issues including the relationship between speed and braking distances and the greatly increased risk of crashing when carrying one or more same-age passengers.

The survey reports a dramatic increases in student knowledge once they had participated in the RYDA program with a 121% increased awareness in speed/braking distances and a 113% jump in awareness of the risk of crashing when carrying same age passengers.

“Road safety is a key focus for all of us at Toyota” said Chris Harrod, Chairman of the Toyota Community Foundation. “It made complete sense that we support RSE to produce this valuable body of work, which provides effective strategies to reduce road trauma.

“We are proud of our continued support for RSE and their RYDA program, which has encouraged over 50,000 students a year, throughout Australasia, to understand what it truly means to be safe on our roads”.

Participation in RYDA also produced some very significant increases in student’s recognition of the risks associated with the use of mobile phones when driving with a 96% increase in student knowledge of reaction times and a 38% improved awareness of the cognitive effects of talking on a hands-free mobile phone.

“These results emphatically demonstrate that there are major gaps in general youth driver knowledge when going for a drivers licence,” said Mr Birss.

There are many factors which influence driver behaviour in the 17–24 age group,
including inexperience, greater risk taking, impulsiveness and distraction, sleep patterns, peer influence, unsafe cars, driving at high risk times and heightened optimism. The RYDA Program recognises these many issues and focuses on cognitive development through a risk awareness program.

Students participating in RYDA come away with the knowledge and a range of strategies on how to protect themselves, their family and friend. Importantly the students have the opportunity to reflect on long term consequences of a crash and to recognise that we all need to treat driving as a social responsibility.

“Evidence from the study supports RYDA’s role in increasing knowledge, skills and attitudinal shift for long term behavioural change.

“RYDA fills an existing gap in Government and community road safety initiatives” Mr Birss concluded.

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