Leading Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy players will be chosen to take part in a driver-training session under a new initiative to prevent young people being injured on New South Wales roads.
 
The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS and Slater & Gordon have joined together to create a unique award for players involved with the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy to help promote the importance of road safety for young drivers.
 
For the remainder of the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships, the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS will select players from the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy who have demonstrated impressive on-field leadership to take part in a special driver education and training program later this year, along with some of the GIANTS AFL players.
 
With more than 30 players on the GIANTS list under the age of 20 and all players from the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy under the age of 18, the players are all in the highest risk category for road safety.
 
According to State Government crash statistics, a 17 year old driver with a P1 license is four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver aged over 26. Tragically, speeding is the biggest killer of young drivers and about 80 per cent of those killed are male.
 
The statistics also reported that young drivers are over represented in all fatal crashes, including drink driving and fatigue. Despite making up only 15 per cent of drivers, young drivers represent around 36 per cent of annual road fatalities.
 
Western Sydney is also home to some of the highest areas for traffic safety issues for young drivers.
 
GIANTS Coach, Kevin Sheedy said the GIANTS are focused on the welfare of their young players and congratulated both parties on the announcement.
 
“I take my hat off to this great initiative. Road safety and driver education are important lessons for young people to learn. Every year we lose too many young people on our roads, and this initiative will go a long way to making an impact on our players,” said Sheedy.
 
“We are in a unique position given the age of our playing group. We have many new drivers in our squad, and it is important that they have the appropriate understanding of the road rules and driver education.”
 
Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy manager, Lachlan Buszard said the initiative was important given the critical age of those involved in the academy program.
 
“Whilst we are tasked with the development of these young men as footballers, we can not forget the role we play in the development of these young men as people, and a vital part of that is education around road safety and driver education.”
 
Genevieve Henderson, a senior motor vehicle accident lawyer at Slater & Gordon, said that the firm often represented young people who had to live with the impacts of being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident.
 
“It’s a particularly sad case when a young person’s life has been changed as the result of a car accident,” Ms Henderson said.
 
“We see the results of unsafe driving everyday and the impact that accidents can have on someone’s future employment, relationships and family.
 
“And it’s not just the drivers who are involved, it’s the affect on any passengers involved as well.
 
“We’re committed to promoting safer driving for young people in the Western Sydney area because if you can teach people safety from the start, it’s a much better outcome for all road users.”