Lending support

I WOULD like to lend my support to Pakenham mother Francine Davy who tragically lost her son Lee in a car accident in 2012 and is now calling for a review of the state’s road education programs (Road toll rolls on in Cardinia Shire, Pakenham Gazette, 8 October). Francine’s plea comes on the back of a shocking 200 per cent increase in road fatalities within the Cardinia Shire over the past 12 months.
Over the past two years I have conducted a lobbying campaign to introduce a compulsory road education program within the two secondary schools in the Cardinia Shire, namely the Pakenham and Kooweerup colleges. The Cardinia Shire has been most pro-active and has included a pilot road safety education program in the two colleges within their road strategy and to pursue funding through both the state and federal governments.
A major component of my lobbying has been directed to our local Member Ken Smith who has contacted the appropriate Minister to consider my proposal, however this has not been fruitful as the Minister has highlighted funding problems and that there are a number of programs available to provide road education to young drivers in the Cardinia Shire.
And there lies the problem! All these programs, while they provide a degree of education to young drivers, none of them are compulsory. The major component of my lobbying campaign is that a school-based program must be compulsory, not an elective.
We insist that our children must learn maths, English and science and many other subjects, so why not demand that road education be included in the curriculum as there is one certainty in our children’s lives, that being they will all be road users as they enter adulthood.
Yes, a pilot road education program will cost money however the cost saving in having all our young drivers receiving the same standard of driver education would be offset by saving just one life and that life could be your child or that of someone you know.
With the upcoming state election only weeks away and all the candidates asking you for your vote, why not ask them to consider road education and to have a close look at the Cardinia Shire Road Strategy and seek funding for compulsory road education in our shire’s state schools.
We could easily put the 200 per cent increase in the road toll down to unfortunate circumstances or simply tragic bad luck, however if we accept that theory we are doing an injustice to our kids and failing to ease the daily pain of Francine Davy.
Gary King,
Kooweerup.