Last week, Tasmanian high school students had the opportunity to take part in the Ryda road safety program by Road Safety Education Limited (RSE), delivered in partnership with Boral.
The program offers road safety education in addition to a session on heavy vehicle awareness, to students on their Ls or Ps – or yet to go for their licence.
Boral has had a longstanding partnership with learning organisation and not-for-profit RSE, since 2018.
RSE’s Ryda road safety program has been delivered to over 735,000 young Australians nationally.
Road deaths are sadly continuing to rise each year. According to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research, more than 1300 people were killed on Australian roads in 2024, a 3.8 per cent increase on the previous year.
Traffic injury is currently the biggest killer of Australian children under 15 and the second-biggest killer of all Australians aged between 15 and 24.
Through Ryda’s school programs, tens of thousands of students participate each year, learning tools, habits and behaviours to stay safe on the road as both drivers and passengers.
Boral provided input into the development of a Ryda topic that sees students investigate the challenges faced by heavy vehicle drivers and how to predict any actions they may need to take to accommodate them.
There have also been opportunities for heavy vehicles to be present at the workshops to help students better understand the risks and considerations when sharing the road with trucks.
Participating students get to talk to a Boral driver and sit in the truck’s cabin to learn first-hand about the risk factors such as truck blind spots and stopping distances.
Richard Pearson, Boral Executive General Manager, Asphalt, said, “We are proud to be a longstanding partner of RSE and the Ryda program. Through the various programs we have helped to deliver, we have seen first-hand the engagement and benefits students have had in talking to Boral drivers and learning about the trucks and heavy vehicles and, more importantly how they can make safe choices around them.
“As one of the largest suppliers of construction materials in Australia, we have a large heavy vehicle footprint – about 3500 heavy vehicles – and are on the road everyday delivering to customers. We are committed to better educating the next generation of drivers and passengers with whom we share the road.”
Terry Briss, RSE Group CEO/Managing Director of Road Safety Education, added, “We are pleased Boral has recommitted to its partnership with RSE and is helping deliver much-needed, potentially life-saving heavy vehicle safety education.
“We need to do more than just teach a young person the skill of controlling and manoeuvring a vehicle. We must also equip them with the skill of critical thinking and appreciation for safety on shared roads.”
Briss continued, “Every year, the Ryda program reaches approximately 50,000 students throughout Australia and contributes towards saving young people’s lives on the road. Schools recognise the value of Ryda to their students and are committing in increasing numbers to this educational experience.
“We thank our corporate partners, including Boral, for their continued support in the delivery of the program. Together, we are not only teaching critical strategies on road safety but contributing to a reduction in road trauma – in short, helping to save young lives and reduce serious injury on our roads.”