Victoria’s alarming 2023 road toll behind new push for more driver safety education in school

The horrific death toll on Victoria’s roads last year has seen driver safety awareness brought into renewed focus for many communities.

For many the issue of proper driver education, particularly for the young, has never been more important.

According to the Transport Accident Commission, 59 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 died on Victorian roads in 2023 — 20 per cent of the total road deaths recorded that year.

It was also a jump from the 44 recorded across that age group in 2022.

One person who believes driver safety education for young people could be improved upon is Shepparton local Ali Naveed.

The 18-year-old said, while he tried road safety programs at high school, more could still be done to help improve safety.

“There were not many people that were doing those programs,” he said.

“I feel like proper education, and enforcing [fellow] young drivers to teach them about driving, would be way better.”

Pleas from both MPs and students

His comments about road safety follow a recent parliamentary discussion about driver education for young people by One Nation Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyyrell.

Ms Tyyrell wants to see a new education module about the topic introduced for year 10 to 12 students across the state — a course that would include basic road safety skills and vehicle maintenance.

Mr Naveed said he welcomed such a move.

“Half an hour a week at school or even as a subject could help a lot with reckless driving, consequences of reckless driving, and instilling good habits from early on to prepare drivers for when they get their licence,” he said.

 

Tom Saxton, 22, who has been involved with Victoria’s Youth Parliament in the past, said the proposal was valid.

He said research should be launched into its effectiveness.

“I do think the nature of the issue is that young people do understand the basic rules on the road,” he said.

“When young people don’t follow them it’s not because they don’t know. I think every young person does know you can’t drink and drive [for instance].”

Mr Saxton said the topic was more complicated than just education options, with behavioural issues, upbringing, and self-responsibility needing to be considered as well.

Ms Tyrrell said her push to see a driver education module in schools had come about due to 2023’s tragic road death figure.

She said she did not want to see her two children become part of the road toll.

“My husband and I both work full time. I’m away a lot for work and he works as a farmer, so he is working very long hours,” she said.

“I want to make sure they have access to educators.”

Is driver education getting through?

Roadsafe Goulburn Valley executive officer Bill Winters applauded Ms Tyyrell’s push to get key driver safety measures added to the curriculum.

He said during a recent road safety discussion that his group conducted with 250 year 12 students at Greater Shepparton Secondary College he asked whether they had heard of the Cool Heads program.

“Of those 250 students only one person put up their hand,” he said.

“That really shocked me because I know Cool Heads is heavily advertised in the lead up to events, and they usually have a couple in Shepparton and elsewhere.”

 

Leigh Johnson, a senior constable with Shepparton police who helps runs Cool Heads, said he was surprised by Mr Winter’s observation about awareness of the program.

“I go back to our two sessions run locally here [and] the numbers were around the 300 to 400-plus mark,” he said.

But Senior Constable Johnson said he would look into how the program could be further promoted.

“We will certainly take on board any feedback and look at strategies in relation specifically to schools,” he said.

The ABC was told that Greater Shepparton Secondary College actively promoted the Cool Heads program on social media and through college newsletters, and it discussed road safety within a number of local programs.

A Victorian Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said it had invested in a number of driver education programs tailored to various stages of learning.

That included early childhood, primary, secondary school, and tertiary education, as well as programs targeted at learner drivers.

It said a new safe driver education program will be launched later this year.