Thousands of young drivers across Queensland are on the road this National Road Safety Week thanks to PCYC’s Braking the Cycle – a volunteer-led program helping young people become safe drivers.
Since its inception in 2012, Braking the Cycle has delivered 317,730 hours of supervised driving and has assisted almost 6,000 participants to achieve their licence.
PCYC Queensland CEO Phil Schultz said Braking the Cycle provides young people with the freedom and independence to help them connect with their community.
“We have more than 700 BTC volunteers across the state who provide their time, skills and experience to help young people who may not be able to access or afford driving lessons the chance to gain their driving skills – and become safe drivers for the future,” Phil said.
“Having a licence doesn’t just give them the key to drive, it gives them the key to finding and maintaining employment, pursue study opportunities or the ability to support their families and the wider community.
“Our driver mentors also encourage participants to consider the community around them, helping to foster that sense of responsibility while on the road.”
Program Coordinator Mandy Cotterill said Braking the Cycle places a strong emphasis on road safety education when working with learner drivers.
“It is a well-structured program that guides participants through lessons on road safety, combined with technical driving skills,” Mandy said.
“We see our mentor drivers create amazing relationships with their learner drivers – our team of Braking the Cycle volunteer driver-mentors plays a vital role in our community to make our roads safer.
“A lot of our participants have only one car or no cars in the family, and both parents work, or there’s limited access to a driver-mentor. Others may have financial barriers to getting professional lessons, and that’s where PCYC Queensland can help.”
Paul Shanley, Braking the Cycle Mentor-Driver has been volunteering with PCYC Queensland for more than four years.
“My main motivation for becoming a Braking the Cycle mentor volunteer was two-fold: number one – road safety, and helping young people to learn how to drive, and learn how to drive safe,” he said.
“Unfortunately, as everybody knows, if you get it wrong as a young driver, you don’t necessarily get a second chance and that’s what inspires me.
“I wanted to do my little bit in educating, coaching and helping young people to develop good driving habits, so that not only do they obtain their licence, but when they graduate from the program, they are going to be safe drivers and have a long, happy driver career.”
Delivered thanks to support from the Department of Transport and Main Roads and the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Braking the Cycle supports National Road Safety Week’s message that road safety is everyone’s responsibility – and its aim to have zero road deaths in Australia. Calling volunteers!
PCYC Queensland is always looking for dedicated volunteers who can spare a few hours each week. PCYC provides full training and support to help mentors guide participants in becoming safe and confident drivers.
