Cessnock High School students were treated to a one-of-a-kind road safety demonstration at Turner Park last week with a visit from the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Safety Truck.
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The $1.3 million community outreach program uses the mobile education centre as a practical, hands-on experience allowing the students to get up close and hands on to the Safety Truck.
A Cessnock Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) rescue truck and highway patrol police car also attended to spread the road safety message to local kids.
“The aim of the program is to improve road user behaviour and road safety attitudes and decrease the incidence of risk-taking behaviour in our young drivers,” Cessnock City Council’s Road Safety Officer, Warren Jeffery said.
“Distraction, speed and motor bike safety is particularly important in the Cessnock area as road crash statistics show motor bike accidents as the biggest road safety issue,” said Mr Jeffery.
The visit was part of the Cessnock Youth Road Safety Program.
Glen Schmidtke is the man behind the wheel of the safety truck—a presenter from the ATA and former veteran police officer from Newcastle and Maitland areas in general duties, police rescue squad and highway patrol.
“Our aim is to deliver a series of linked road safety information sessions, addressing the behaviour and attitudes of our young drivers,” Mr. Schmidtke said.
“We might only get the safety message through to one or two kids per session, but it’s worth it even if you only get through to a couple.”
