RYDA - a Rotary program keeping our young drivers alive on our roads.
In April we celebrate this great Rotary program which provides high-quality driver and road safety training available to vulnerable soon-to-be teenage drivers, so they can live longer and "survive the drive".
"Rotary Youth Driver Awareness" is more than a program, it’s a partnership which provides students with the tools and understanding they need to see themselves as active, responsible road citizens. Taking, largely, a student inquiry learning approach, RYDA becomes part of the school and town culture. Beyond that, RYDA provides students with the tools, habits and motivation to take action and stay safe on our roads as both drivers and passengers throughout their lives, with Rotarians providing both funding to run these courses for more youngsters and also operational support at the events themselves.
Past President of the Rotary Club of BUNDABERG, Matt Griffiths said, the RYDA program was originally created after four teenage boys were killed in a car driven by an inexperienced P plater in the year 2000.
“The local Rotary Club decided that something had to be done and the first RYDA program was conducted by the St Ives Rotary Club in 2001,” he said.
“This was the beginning of RYDA – a youth driver awareness community-based road safety initiative created to deliver practical road safety information targeting ‘attitude and awareness' of young drivers and passengers."
Mr Griffiths said the overall aim of Rotary Youth Driver Awareness was to help stop the tragic loss of young people in road crashes.
“RYDA features a highly engaging and memorable one day workshop which front-loads students' understanding of road safety,” he said.
The Rotary Club of Bundaberg provided a road safety driver awareness program, aimed at high school learner drivers, which was held in the region for the first time in October 2021, thanks to a partnership between myPolice Bundaberg, Rotary Club of Bundaberg Inc and Bundaberg Regional Council.
The next Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program will be held for local school students over five days in August 2022 at the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct.
Check this picture and footage out! https://fb.watch/bxlizF74hW/ it shows RYDA in action by the ROTARY CLUB OF TOWNSVILLE on November 3 2021. The importance of showing the students just how far it takes to brake at different speeds (40, 60, 80km per hour). We thank the Graduate School of Motoring for running this module.
The Rotary Club of MARYBOROUGH CITY Rotary also organise one of the largest RYDA programs in Rotary Dostrict 9560, with over 2000 students attending in 2021. They collaborate with the 3 other Rotary clubstin their area: Maryborough Sunrise, Harvey Bay City and Hervey Bay Sunrise to man this.
The MARYBOROUGH City Rotary Club on behalf of the 4 local Rotary Clubs acknowledges the grant it has received from the Fraser Coast Regional Council to assist with the delivery of the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program in August 2021. 970 Year 10 students, from most of the high schools across their region attended RYDA, which was held over 5 days at the Maryborough Showgrounds.
Students participated in 6 half hour workshops which included hands on practical demonstrations, videos and interactive discussions. Facilitators included Police Officers, a crash survivor, a heavy vehicle driver trainer, a driving school instructor, a solicitor and a returned serviceman.
The ROTARY CLUB OF MT MORGAN sponsored all 36 Year 11 students to attend RYDA in July 2021. And the Rotary Club of SARINA donated $900 in October 2021 to Sarina State High to cover the bus and student payments of $10 per person for RYDA attendance because children are the future of small communities. The AYR Rotary Club also gained accolades for providing this service for Uear 10 students.
Rotary Clubs north to south, east to west in our District, stated to DG Martti that, “The RYDA program has been recognised by them as a fundamentally crucial instrument in raising awareness of the importance of road safety in this vulnerable age group."