TAFE students create mobile phone campaigns as part of national regional road safety program
Unique road safety campaigns, created by local young people to improve road safety among their young peers, are launching across regional Australia from today.
The campaigns were created as part of Re:act Regional, which ran for the first time in 2024 in regional TAFEs across four states.
Re:act Executive Director and founder Andrew Hardwick said funding from the Australian Government, under the National Road Safety Action Grants Program (NRSAGP), allowed the Re:act behaviour change road safety program to expand into regional areas in 2024 and 2025. In 2024, the topic was mobile phone distraction.
As part of Re:act, which has run with universities and TAFEs in metropolitan areas since 2016, graphic and design communication students are challenged to create campaigns that resonate with 17-25 year olds. Local road safety and industry program partners provide feedback during campaign development and one campaign is selected in each location to be executed in public.
“Young Australians living in regional areas face unique challenges,” Mr Hardwick said. “As well as being inexperienced road users who are over-represented in road trauma, regional students don’t always have access to such real-world opportunities.
“Feedback shows that participating in Re:act has increased young people’s awareness and changed their behaviours on and around the roads, as well as influencing their own networks, while also providing a valuable experience, a fact reinforced by the consistently high standard of campaigns from participating students in Bendigo and Geelong in Victoria, Campbelltown and Kingscliff in New South Wales, Nambour in Queensland, and Margaret River in Western Australia.
“We are grateful for the support of the Australian Government, through the NRSAGP, and the commitment to the Re:act Regional road safety programs by industry and local government partners in this our first year.”
Sunshine Coast Council Transport Portfolio Councillor David Law said Council was proud to be supporting initiatives like this alongside our road safety and industry partners in fostering a culture of safety and responsibility among young drivers.
“On behalf of myself and Council, I would like to congratulate the Nambour TAFE students who participated in this campaign challenge,” Cr Law said.
“Your creativity and dedication resulted in a campaign that will have a profound impact on our young drivers.
“By raising awareness and encouraging safer behaviours, we are collectively working towards reducing road trauma and saving lives on the Sunshine Coast.
“The commitment and collaboration demonstrated in this program is inspiring and I am confident that the positive effects will be felt throughout our community.”
City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie said the program has been a fantastic initiative.
“The work done through this program reinforces our commitment to our Vision Zero Geelong road safety strategy,” Ms Wastie said.
“This has been a great opportunity to engage with and hear from students on road safety and the importance that people’s driving behaviours have in creating safer roads for all road users."
“Road safety remains an important and ongoing issue for our community and those across Australia,” said Mayor of Campbelltown Cr Darcy Lound.
“It’s important that we continue to advocate for awareness and responsibility on our roads, especially for our young people, who are the future of our roadways,” Cr Lound said.
“We’re thrilled to support this great initiative and empower our youth to consider what road safety means to them,” he said.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said: “Our community is immensely proud to see local young people using their creativity and insights to address road safety issues that affect us all.
“Programs like Re:act empower young adults to make a real difference, helping their peers think twice about the dangers of mobile phone distraction and making our roads safer for everyone.
“This campaign is a testament to the positive change we can achieve when young voices lead the way in promoting responsible driving.”
David Nicholson, Manager Asset Services for the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, is an advocate for the program and was involved with the selection of the winning campaign.
“Anything that engages young people and encourages positive behaviour change around road safety is incredibly valuable,” Mr Nicholson said.
“Young people know what resonates with their own peers. Here at the Shire of Augusta Margaret River we’re committed to improving road safety, and I hope that this Re:act Regional project will continue over the coming years.”