Hornsby students commence shock program to prevent motor fatalities
THE OLD Pacific Highway at Cowan has claimed the lives of five people in the past five years — sparking urgent calls for more programs to protect young people on our roads and a new campaign targeting young drivers.
Hornsby
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THE OLD Pacific Highway at Cowan has claimed the lives of five people in the past five years — sparking urgent calls for more programs to protect young people on our roads.
The plea from parents and the wider community sparked the Advocate’s Hit The Brakes campaign in January this year, calling on policymakers to establish a plan to save lives on the old highway, known to many as a local racetrack.
One program, designed to shock young motorists to their core, has been made available to students across the Hornsby Shire following the Hit The Brakes campaign, supported by Hornsby state Liberal MP Matt Kean.
Run out of Royal North Shore Hospital, the Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program sees students visit intensive care units, witness footage of deadly crashes and hear stories of survivors and their saviours first hand.
PARTY co-ordinator Claire Rowe said the program left students with insights into the consequences of risky behaviour, including the use of drugs and alcohol while behind the wheel or on a motorbike.
“Coming face-to-face with this confronting reality leaves many of them feeling quite reflective,” Ms Rowe said.
“The program is about a community approach to injury awareness and prevention, where we all work together to hopefully ensure as many students as possible understand the consequences related to risk-taking behaviour.”
Barker College students were some of the community’s first to be included in the program, with students hearing from doctors, nurses and paramedics that have worked to save the lives of crash victims.
Year 11 Barker student Lucinda Allen said the program gave young people insight into the trauma surrounding risky behaviour on our roads.
“(The program) made me more aware of the consequences of our actions,” she said.
“It was a great experience and provided a terrific opportunity to explore the different fields of work in the hospital, furthering my interest in medical work after school.”
Fellow Year 11 student Kai Denton said he was unsure about the program before seeing it first-hand.
“It was a great eye opener about the possible consequences of risky behaviours,” he said.
“I also found it interesting to view the precautions and procedures used in managing emergency patients and listening to the officer’s perspectives turning up to a crash scene.”
Hornsby MP Matt Kean said he would work to ensure every high school in Hornsby was able to attend the program.
“This is an in-your-face approach gives students real life examples of roadside traumas which are seen in our emergency rooms every week,” Mr Kean said.
“I was able to hear first-hand trauma specialist Dr Kirsty Short’s presentation to students from Barker College on the types on injuries she has seen from motor vehicle accidents, particularly motorbikes.”
RMS data revealed 96 crashes were recorded on the Old Pacific Highway between Cowan and the Brooklyn Bridge, resulting in 44 people left in a serious condition and five fatalities in five years.
Most recently, 19-year-old motorcyclist Ki Dwyer was killed on the stretch of road, sparking in the Advocate’s campaign.
