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Caboolture program wins top road safety award

Caboolture Bus Lines has won a top honour in a state awards program sponsored by the RACQ. The company was presented

Caboolture Bus Lines has won a top honour in a state awards program sponsored by the RACQ.

The company was presented with the Industry and Business category award for its “Be Smart, Be Safe, Be Cool” program at the 2009 Queensland Road Safety Awards ceremony in Parliament House, Brisbane on Thursday, October 8.

The program, developed by Caboolture Bus Lines with support from the Department of Education and Training and Queensland Transport, is specifically designed to boost the bus and road safety skills of Grade 4 students.

Students learn the skills and thought process required to enable them to be a safe traveller on buses through 90-minute classes developed by Caboolture Bus Lines.

The classes are held at the Caboolture Bus Lines’ depot, which is transformed into a secure learning environment dedicated to educating students on issues relating to safe bus and road travel.

During the 90-minute classes the students take part in eight interactive learning stations.

The primary aims and objectives of the program are to demonstrate to students the skills and thought processes required to enable them to be a safe traveller on buses and to adopt road safety strategies, to enable students to be aware of the consequences of their actions and how this can have an impact on their safety and to empower the students to become safe travellers, providing them with skills that they can take with them into adult life.

Caboolture Bus Lines is making the program available to other communities through their local bus operators, provided it is delivered on a “not for profit” basis.

The Queensland Road Safety Awards are a joint initiative of the RACQ and QUT’s (Queensland University of Technology) Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (CARRS-Q) which recognise the work and efforts of individuals and groups who have designed projects or programs to improve road safety on Queensland roads.

CARRS-Q director Professor Barry Watson says the road safety awards, now in their
tenth year, recognise efforts to save lives on Queensland roads. Entries were judged on creativity, originality and “real world” application.

“Of the 134 road safety initiatives recognised since the inaugural awards in 2000, each has contributed to road safety in its own unique way,” says Professor Watson.

“The awards have consistently generated a high calibre of entries and this year has been no exception.”

RACQ’s general manager for external relations, Gary Fites, says the motoring club had been pleased to partner CARRS-Q in the organisation and major sponsorship of the awards since their inception.

“A great deal of positive progress has been made in road safety in recent years but despite this, much more obviously needs to be done if road trauma is not to remain one of our major public health issues,” Fites says.

“Community attitudes are a vital factor in determining whether or not the road toll is reduced over the long term.

“And this awards program has attracted nominations for some excellent and highly innovative initiatives developed and inspired by strong community spirit.”

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