Last month, 27 people – including 13 learner drivers and their 12 driver supervisors, RACT team members, and design experts from our sister club in WA – gathered in Hobart. Spirited, collaborative discussions of experiences and ideas erupted between learner and P plate drivers and their driver supervisors during the event, which was designed to shape support for the next generation of learners and their supervisors.
Pippa, a learner driver, attested that it’s "good to get input from young people, because we’re the ones it’s most affecting”.
The session highlighted the types of support both learners and supervisors need, as well as the ways they would like to see and engage with road safety information and resources.
“I feel more confident when I have a supervisor who keeps me calm, gives me clear feedback and helps guide me through situations I haven’t experienced before,” said Luca, a new P plater.
Georgie, a mother attending with two learner drivers, shared the other side of the wheel: “The first thing that came to my mind was educating the supervisors. When you’re teaching someone to drive you just don’t know what you don’t know.”
Insights such as these will guide the next phase of the project – to commence in 2026 – as we refine and develop the creative concepts generated on the night.
The project will expand next year, including working with teachers, providing resources for the Tasmanian curriculum and schools, and continuing to be co-designed with young people and the community.
Each year, around 300 Tasmanians are killed or seriously injured on our roads, with around 92 of those under 25. The RACT Youth Road Safety program is funded through an $8 million grant from the Tasmanian Government.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop? Connect with us by filling out the form below, and we’ll contact you with more information when more events become available.