GIANTS players Phil Davis, Adam Kennedy and Sam Frost, as well as members of the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy participated in a special Slater & Gordon Road Safety Day this week at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek.
The Slater & Gordon Safe Driving award is an initiative of both Slater & Gordon and the GIANTS, where GIANTS players along with selected Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy players took part in a driver-training session under a new initiative to prevent young people being injured on New South Wales roads.
WATCH THE ACTION FROM EASTERN CREEK RACEWAY:
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.
GIANTS Co-Captain Phil Davis was pleased to have the chance to develop his driving skills.
“These sort of days are fantastic,” said Davis.
“The more experience we can get the safer drivers we will become. These are a great way to learn and I’d recommend it for young drivers to come out and do it.”
Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy members were selected following their impressive on-field leadership in the recent NAB AFL U18 National Championships for the NSW/ACT RAMS.
Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy manager, Lachlan Buszard said the day would be a vital tool in the education and development of the young players.
“It is important to continue to develop our kids off the field and this initiative, having had players at the club having been effected by road trauma in the past, it will prove invaluable.”
Slater & Gordon senior motor vehicle accident lawyer, Genevieve Henderson, said that the firm often represented young people who had to live with the impacts of being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and was hopeful that more young people will take up driver training.
“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’re committed to promoting safer driving for young people in the Western Sydney area and that’s why we’re proud to sponsor the Slater & Gordon Safe Driving award.
“If you can teach people safety from the start, it’s a much better outcome for all road users.”
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.
