For the past ten years more than 4,000 Year 10 students from 11 high schools have been confronted with the hard hitting, realistic message of the mock crash demonstration. Last Friday the special milestone was celebrated with a commemorative book launch after the morning demonstration at the Parkes High School’s Multi-Purpose Centre.
The program’s success is evident in a decrease of 27% in crashes on local roads involving young drivers. “I saw it for the first time last year and was super impressed,” said MP for Orange, Phil Donato. “I was a police officer for 22
years, and I saw accidents happen exactly as portrayed here. It is very uncomfortable to watch, but sends a strong message to future drivers and is a great service to our community.”
Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM handed a commemorative plaque to Melanie Suitor, Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, saying the program has been her baby for the past 10 years.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with over 100 actors, extras, crew and helpers over the past 10 years,” said Melanie. “We want to show young drivers what is happening on the roads and encourage them to make better, safer decisions as drivers and passengers as they get their driver’s licence.”
‘We believe strongly in the Not A Statistic! Youth Driver Education Program as it is vitally important to give young people an insight into the consequences of bad driving habits,” said Central West Police District Superintendent Chris Taylor.