‘All it takes is a small distraction’: crash survivor brings home road safety message to high school students

The emergency services workers and road safety specialists who see the realities of road trauma every day came together last week in a plea to South West high school students to take care behind the wheel. More than 1600 Year 10-12 students from high schools in Australind, Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Dalyellup, Eaton, Harvey, and Nannup attended the event, which included a heartfelt message from crash survivor and double-amputee Robert Pike. So far this year, 22 people have died on WA roads, with the most of these fatalities taking place in regional areas. Sadly, this regional statistic is all too common. In the past 20 years, the annual number of regional road fatalities has only ever been outnumbered by metro road fatalities once, in 2013, when 73 people died on regional roads and 88 people died in crashes in the metro area. The only other year it came close was in 2008, when the regions recorded 103 fatalities, one higher than the metro area’s 102 fatalities. With these horror stats in mind, WA Police, Department of Fire and Emergency Services and St John WA teamed up with RAC to create a free road safety presentation for Year 10 to 12 students across the region. RAC’s Will Golsby said the program showed the students the importance of safe driver and passenger behaviour, as well as the effects that alcohol, speed, reckless behaviour, and inattention can have on a person’s ability to drive safely. “It’s crucial to educate students on the life-changing realities of road trauma, especially for those living, and learning how to drive in regional areas” he said. Crash-survivor turned road-safety-ambassador Robert Pike brought home this message by sharing his own experiences. When he was only 17, Mr Pike was the rear passenger in a tragic crash that led to the loss of not only his three best friends, but which also broke his back and resulted in both of his legs being amputated below the knees. “I was in high school when this happened to me, so I hope my story provides a wake-up call to these students and inspires them to create safe, lasting habits behind the wheel,” he said. “Driving requires all your attention, 100 per cent of the time. “All it takes is a small distraction, a fraction of a second to lose focus, and your life could change forever.”