A 30% spike in road fatalities of young people has driven Blue Datto, with thanks to community partner WestConnex | Transurban, to launch ‘Safe Yourself’, a new life-saving online road safety program targeting at-risk teenagers.

Blue Datto Foundation CEO Rebecca Palser said the online program has been developed to ensure vital education remains accessible to vulnerable young people, who are some of the most at-risk people on NSW roads.

“In a time when traditional face-to-face road safety education programs and opportunities for practical driver experience have been impacted by health restrictions, Blue Datto, through the continued support of WestConnex | Transurban has expanded to the digital world” Ms Palser said.

“While the number of road deaths in NSW dropped significantly in 2020, sadly fatalities in the 17-20 year old age group increased by 30%.Over the past 10 years, road trauma has also been the leading cause of death in people ages 17 to 25. It’s a challenging time and we want to make sure young people aren’t missing out on potentially life-saving education to keep themselves, their mates and their communities safe as they approach one of the riskiest times of their lives.”

Aimed at high school students, ‘Safe Yourself’ is a series of interactive online modules which provide teenagers with practical skills and strategies to reduce their risk as a driver or passenger.

“This online platform will enable thousands of students across NSW to take part in the program, no matter where they are. It’s giving them awareness and the skills they need to make safer decisions and understand risks so that we can spare families from the never-ending heartache of losing a loved one in a preventable crash on our roads.”

In March, Westconnex | Transurban joined Blue Datto and 200 students from Bethlehem Catholic College, Ashfield, which marked 25,000 students participating in its award-winning road safety program – ‘Keeping Safe’.

“WestConnex has had a successful partnership with Blue Datto for more than three years which has enabled thousands of students from across Greater and Western Sydney gain access to its critical road safety programs,” Ms Hitchcock from Westconnex | Transurban said.  “We are delighted to support Blue Datto’s move to develop online modules which complement its face-to-face ‘Keeping Safe’ program, ensuring even more at-risk youth are empowered with the skills they need to stay safe.”

Schools can gain access to the ‘Safe Yourself’ online modules for their students at SafeYourself Online Modules