THIS year’s Arthurs Seat Challenge fun run launch at Arthurs Hotel on 19 May was an opportunity to highlight the fragility of young lives on the roads – among both drivers and passengers.
Those aged 18-24 are the most at-risk group, with P-platers 30 times more likely to crash than more experienced drivers.
The challenge raises the importance of road safety education for young people and supports the Fit2Drive road safety program. Funds raised go to local schools to supplement the cost of providing road safety education to Year 11 students.
Guest Dr Nicola Martin spoke about the lasting impact that road trauma leaves on families and communities.
Cr Antonella Celi said Mornington Peninsula Shire was the first to commit to the Towards Zero target which backed the TAC’s plan for a future free of death and serious injury on the roads.
The Arthurs Seat Challenge will support the Towards Zero campaign.
Community awareness and road safety education – as well as better roads and infrastructure – are crucial aspects of this vision.
Young people are still overrepresented in road crashes but, since the inception of programs such as Fit2Drive, road deaths for young drivers on Victorian roads have more than halved.
Fit2Drive participants from Woodleigh School, Mt Eliza Secondary College and Toorak College, confirmed that the workshops were an essential component of their education, providing them with skills they would carry throughout their lives.
The fun run on Sunday 6 November will start at Rosebud pier and finish at Seawinds Gardens at the summit of Arthurs Seat.
More than 2000 participants will tackle the 6.7km accent while supporting road safety education for young people and A Towards Zero future for the Mornington Peninsula.
Register at arthursseatchallenge.com.au
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 7 June 2016
