A free online learning experience and education tool aimed at Year 9 students, RoadSet, is taking off in Coffs Harbour – making local roads safer for everyone.

RoadSet, created by the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) with support of the Federal Government, aims to address the shocking statistic that road trauma is the biggest killer of Australian kids aged between one and 14 years, and second biggest killer of young people aged 15 to 24 years^[1].

Today, Member for Cowper and chair of the Federal Government’s Road Safety Committee, Pat Conaghan celebrated the commitment of St John Paul College in trialling the pilot program, encouraging other local teachers, community educators, parents and individuals to follow suit.

Mr Conaghan said road safety is of vital importance for the local community and was encouraged by the registration numbers to date.

“If we’re going to make our roads safer, we need to start by helping our young people develop safer road awareness skills across a range of conditions, environments and scenarios,” Mr Conaghan said.

“As a former police officer I know too well of the trauma of losing a loved one on our roads, so today I ask the whole community to help ensure more young people register for the free RoadSet program.”

Founder and CEO ARSF Russell White said RoadSet had become a critical first step towards a mandatory requirement for young people using the road in any form.

“Too often when we think about road safety we narrow in on just drivers specifically, but the reality is that as road users, every single person as passengers, pedestrians and cyclists have a key role to play in preventing tragic loss of life or injury.” Mr White said.

“Local residents may not realise that in New South Wales last year – passengers, pedestrians, motor cyclists and pedal cyclists accounted for half (51%) of the 297 people killed on the state’s roads,” he said.

“It is imperative that we’re arming our young people with the knowledge and skills that can one day save their own, or someone else’s life,” he said.

The RoadSet program is available free of charge, takes zero planning or preparation, can be done on any device and aligns with the Year 9 and 10 school curriculum.

Both individual students and parents, as well as teachers and community educators are encouraged to visit www.roadset.com.au on any device to start their RoadSet journey today.

Schools who register before the end of Term 2 will also have a chance to win a meet and greet with Australian driving champion and ARSF ambassador, Craig Lowndes.

Supplied content available here includes:

• RoadSet overview with Russell White, founder and CEO of ARSF
• Importance of RoadSet with Craig Lowndes, Australian racing champion and ARSF Ambassador
• Additional video of Kellie Postle, a mother who lost her daughter to road trauma also available here

^[1] Deaths in Australia, Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare