The Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program was held at the Yanco Agricultural Institute this week with students from across the region all taking part.

The initiative includes several sessions throughout the day, each focusing on a different area, but all with the common goal of promoting road safety in a way students will listen to, remember and respond.

Many of the students attending are around the age of 16 or 17, meaning it is the crucial time for them to listening to and absorbing all they are hearing and seeing during the RYDA sessions.

Crash survivors talk to them about their deeply-personal experiences which have changed their lives, another shows them the importance of stopping distances and how drastically an accident can occur quickly.

St Francis College year 11 student Mae Lucas said she had expected to learn plenty from the day, but feels as though the messages would stay with for a long time.

"Road safety is so important, we knew that already, but from these sessions we're really seeing the impacts of why we need to be safe," she said.

"You have to be so aware of everything, your surroundings too."

Also present on Wednesday was Road Safety Education's (RSE) national program manager John Elliott. RSE is the provider of the program, along with Leeton's Rotary clubs and Leeton Shire Council.

"You can see it really has an impact on the way students think," Mr Elliott said.

"You see the messages resonate.

"The other thing is I have spoken to people who did this program two years ago, five years ago, even 10 years ago and they all remember it.

"If that can impact on their choices when they are on the road, then the job is done."

Charlotte Morschel was another year 11 student taking part, saying she felt RYDA helped young people understand not just the importance of basic road safety, but much more.

"We know why it's important to always be safe, but it's been good to understand and shown this in a different way," she said.

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