Hundreds of secondary students from schools in the Bega Valley and Cooma-Monaro took part in another successful RYDA program last week. RYDA stands for the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program, which is held over three days in May each year at Frogs Hollow near Bega. It's supported by Bega Rotary and led by club member Eric Johnston, who has been organising the program in Bega for 20 years! The program has been running successfully in Australia for 25 years. Eric has seen 7,000 students come through the program in those 20 years - an amazing commitment from Eric and we all thank him very much for his massive contribution to the safety of our youth and to our community.
The RYDA workshops aim to empower young people to make good choices on the roads. Police, crash survivors, Fire and Rescue, and others gave talked about what it takes to be a safe driver. Practical on-road demonstrations showing how far a car travels after sudden braking often surprised the students and hearing directly from crash survivors is a powerful way to understand the consequences of driver behaviours.
Bega Rotary would like to thank the Merimbula Pambula Lions Club for their time and assistance with the BBQ lunch for the students and staff and a big thank you to all the volunteers who make the program possible.
