Steering students towards safe driving

Tuesday 27 August, 2024

Playing a pivotal role in road safety education, Tamworth Regional Council's Young Drivers Expo will return to the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Conference Centre (TRECC) from Tuesday, 27 August to Friday, 30 August 2024.

Marking its 28th year, the Expo will be attended by more than 1,100 young drivers from Tamworth, Armidale, Quirindi, Scone, Gunnedah, Warialda, Walcha, and Wee Waa over four days.

Brian Lakin, Duty Operations Manager at NSW Ambulance, believes that practical education is the way forward in helping young drivers navigate risks on NSW roads.

"Many of the presenters involved in the Young Drivers Expo have firsthand experience with on-road crashes. We feel a shared responsibility to equip young drivers with the knowledge and skills to understand and mitigate these risks," said Lakin.

Tamworth Regional Council, in collaboration with the NSW Police, Hunter New England Health, Ambulance, NRMA Insurance, Joblink Plus, Tamworth Truck Drivers Club, Tamworth Ute Show, Careys Freight Lines, NSW Fire and Rescue, and Transport for NSW, have meticulously planned the 2024 Expo to prepare, inform, and ultimately make young drivers safer on the road.

This will be achieved through exposing high school students to real-life driving scenarios in a controlled and safe environment. Staff will work to together to expose attendees to driving simulations, vehicle demonstrations, and impactful seminars with guest speakers who have survived road crashes.

The statistics from 2023 show 17-25 year olds account for 18.5% of all serious injury crashes in NSW. Figures also indicate greater road safety risks for regional areas with crashes on country roads accounting for 40% of casualty crashes and 67% of fatal crashes. Further, 16% of motor vehicle occupants killed on country roads were not wearing seat belts. In 2023, 69% of crashes were fatal, and 40% of crashes where someone was injured occurred on country roads.

"Council and the various stakeholder groups have worked together for many years to educate our young drivers on road safety, and how to make safe choices when travelling on roads," said Melanie Jenkins, Events Officer at Tamworth Regional Council.

"We strongly encourage other councils and organisations across the state to consider how they can work with experts in the field to deliver road education to young drivers and ultimately reduce deaths and injuries on our roads".

For more information about the Young Drivers Expo, please visit:

tamworth.nsw.gov.au/live/community/young-drivers-expo

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