TAC urges young people to plan ahead for a safe Schoolies road trip

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17 Nov 2016

The Transport Accident Commission has issued a road safety reminder to young people ahead of this month’s end-of-school celebrations.

With exams drawing to a close, many Victorian school-leavers will be planning trips to various Schoolies Week destinations around the country.

TAC Senior Road Safety Manager Samantha Cockfield said that for many Schoolies it would be their first long trip in the driver’s seat.

“Schoolies is an exciting time for young people but it only takes one bad decision for that excitement to turn into tragedy,” Ms Cockfield said.

With young drivers 30 times more likely to crash in their first six months of driving, Ms Cockfield called on young people to plan ahead and avoid driving while distracted or impaired by alcohol or drugs.

“Inexperience, long distances and unfamiliar roads present significant challenges to young drivers and the last thing they need is to add alcohol, distraction, fatigue or speed into the mix,” she said.

Schoolies Week can be a nerve-wracking time for parents but Ms Cockfield said there were a few things they can do to help their children return home safely.

“If your child is going to be driving for two or more hours, I’d encourage you to help them plan out rest stops along the way and make sure they are driving the safest car in the household because those safety features save lives.” said Ms Cockfield.

“It’s also good to talk about strategies to help them stay safe, like leaving mobile phones in the boot or organising rides home from  events where there will be alcohol”.

Ms Cockfield reminded school-leavers that police presence will be high in Schoolies hotspots.

“If you are doing the wrong thing, you can bank on getting caught,” she said.

“We want school leavers to have a great time but more importantly, we want them to be safe so they can return home to their loved ones.”

The TAC is also encouraging young drivers to visit www.howsafeisyourfirstcar.com.au before purchasing their first set of wheels.

The site provides information on thousands of new and used cars and allows buyers to search based on their individual budgets.

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