our story

The Re:act road safety program is a unique collaboration between industry, government, higher education institutions and their students that gives young people the opportunity to develop behaviour change campaigns that positively influence their peers and the community they live in.

The annual program challenges design communication students to create campaigns that raise awareness of road safety issues and change behaviour among 17-25 year olds as well as their personal and professional networks, making our roads safer for all. 

Across three sessions facilitated by Re:act (Q&A, Check-in and Final Presentations), a panel of road safety, workplace safety and industry partners in each city provide feedback and then select the most compelling road safety campaign, which is developed and launched across out-of-home media partner digital assets.

Re:act is the first, and only, mandatory road safety program that forms a major part of students’ curriculums in five states in Australia, as well as in Chile and the United States.

Annual evaluations have consistently proven Re:act is effective in educating and raising awareness of young road users and translating that increased understanding into creating safer behaviours on and around the road. Since launching in 2016, Re:act has:

•      been awarded the United Nations Regions Award – Asia Pacific for its work in road safety

•      become the only mandatory road safety program in several student curriculums

•      been invited to present to and share insights with key local, national and international groups, including the Third World Youth Assembly for Road Safety in Morocco and partner organisations, such as Transurban in Australia and the United States

•      launched in the TAFE sector in Australia with road and workplace safety agencies

•      expanded internationally into North and South America and the U.K.

•      been supported by 60 industry partners including industry associations and corporates with a commitment to road safety, government road safety agencies, insurers, road safety research organisations and WorkSafe workplace safety agencies

•      consistently achieved 95 per cent student participant satisfaction ratings

•      received support from the Australian National Road Safety Action Grants Program and Road Safety Awareness and Enablers Fund

•      been included in multiple government road safety action plans as an innovative approach to improving road safety for young people.

Each Re:act program focuses on a topic where young people are over-represented in road trauma and where there is the most local need or potential for change. Previous topics include distraction, fatigue, safer speeds, mobile phone use, safer vehicles, safer interactions with trucks, seatbelt use and shared responsibility.

Guided by its own proven Behaviour Change methodology and the Safe System, with the input of its expert Advisory Group, Re:act’s operating principles and selection of highlighted topics are aligned with local road safety strategies and associated action plans, local road safety priorities and, globally, the United Nations sustainable development goals.