'Fit to Drive' is Wyndham's preferred method of implementing Traffic Safety Education for students in years 11 & 12 in Secondary Colleges.
The ‘Fit to Drive’ program concentrates on Year 10, 11 and 12 students attending secondary schools in Wyndham. The aim of the program is to raise road safety awareness with young people and provide them with the skills and strategies to be safe on our roads.
The program is split into sections based on school year levels. Year 10 students attend a VicRoads ‘Keys Please’ session for students and parents. The session emphasises the importance of the partnership between the learner driver and the licenced supervising driver when learning to drive. It also highlights the need for regular, extensive, supervised driving practice in a variety of driving situations and conditions.
Year 11 students attend peer education workshops and work with trained facilitators to consider the consequences of risk taking behaviour and peer pressure. The workshop includes a presentation by the Victoria Police Road Safety and Awareness Unit and a Fire Brigade case study.
Representative Year 11 students from participating schools are then invited to take part in a youth forum. The forum considers issues raised in the workshop and brainstorms strategies for keeping young people safe on our roads.
Year 12 students are shown a Transport Accident Commission (TAC) video titled ‘Muck Up Day’ and participate in a group discussion. Students also participate in the ‘Looking after our Mates’ Program.
The ‘Fit to Drive’ program is designed to further support traffic safety education among Wyndham’s youth and seeks to reduce dangerous risk taking behaviour and encourage participants to resist negative peer pressure in a road safety context.
The program encourages a commitment and partnership between Council, Wyndham secondary schools, the local community and road safety agencies to reduce the level of road trauma amongst young people.
A key message of the program is that learner drivers need to have extensive experience in all driving conditions.
The Wyndham ‘Fit to Drive’ program has been established with financial grants from Wyndham City Council and RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council, together with support from the local secondary schools. The TAC provide road safety information and video productions for the seminars.
During the 2007 year, over 1200 VCE students from MacKillop, The Grange, Galvin Park, Heathdale Christian, Werribee, Thomas Carr and Hoppers Crossing Secondary Colleges have benefitted from the workshops and presentations.
For further information on the Program, please contact Council’s Community Safety Project Officer, on 9742 8160.