As part of their PDHPE Road Safety Unit, Year 10 students recently attended bstreetsmart, Australia’s largest youth road safety education event. Hosted annually at Qudos Bank Arena and organised by the Westmead Hospital Trauma Department, bstreetsmart is designed to inspire young drivers and passengers aged 16–25 to make safer decisions on the road.
The program brought together thousands of students from across New South Wales for a day of confronting yet important learning. Through real crash survivor stories, interactive sessions and live demonstrations, students were challenged to reflect deeply on the life-changing consequences of risky driving behaviours.
At the heart of the event was a live crash re-enactment, featuring NSW Police, the Police Crash Investigation Unit, Fire and Rescue NSW, and NSW Ambulance Service. Students witnessed the extrication of a patient from a crashed car, the resuscitation process and the patient’s journey through hospital care, demonstrating a rare and sobering insight into the coordinated work of emergency responders.
This was followed by a series of powerful real-life testimonials:
- Brain Injury Unit speakers from the THiNK TWiCE Community Education Team shared first-hand accounts of living with acquired brain injuries.
- Heidi Haydon, a spinal injury survivor, spoke candidly about the lifelong impact of her accident.
- Melissa McGuinness offered a heartfelt perspective on the ripple effects of road trauma from a family’s point of view.
Students also engaged with the Think About It theatre-style scenarios, delivered in partnership with Transport for NSW and a Braking Distances live presentation by LTrent Driving School, which demonstrated the physics and reaction times involved in stopping a vehicle safely.
The bstreetsmart experience directly supports learning outcomes, where students explore strategies to minimise risk and promote safer choices in real-world contexts. By combining theoretical classroom learning with an emotionally impactful, real-life program, students gain not only the knowledge but also the conviction to drive change in their own behaviour and among their peers.