RACQ research has revealed almost 40 per cent of Queensland teens have been in a car with a driver who was over the legal alcohol limit, while one in three has taken a selfie while driving.
RACQ executive manager community and education David Contarini said the data, released as part of the RACQ’s Docudrama education program, was a confronting snapshot of the lives of young Queenslanders.
“This is scary stuff for parents of teenagers and it’s incredibly worrying to see them placing themselves at risk like this,”
Mr Contarini said.
Mr Contarini said data also showed 75 per cent of the students surveyed admitted they had been in a situation as a passenger where they believed they might die.
“Our education program is dedicated to making students aware their actions in the critical 20 seconds of a risky situation could have consequences for the next 20 years. It’s about making the smart choice in any scenario they might face,” he said.
“We also teach an ‘in the boot’ message for mobile phones, which recognises that while mobiles are an essential part of any teen’s life, they need to be completely out of the reach of temptation when driving.
“We hope this is a wake-up call to all parents to have the conversation with their kids about their strategy to get home safely.”
Mr Contarini said RACQ encouraged parents to discuss the ‘no-questions-asked’ phone call option to ring Mum or Dad at any time, day or night without question.
“We know that any parent would rather take a phone call in the middle of the night than receive a knock on the door from emergency services,” he said.
The free RACQ Docudrama program is funded by the Queensland Government through the Department of Transport and Main Roads and is delivered to more than 50 schools across Queensland each year.
