Learning to navigate the roads involves far more than clocking 120 logbook hours.
On Tuesday 27 October, hundreds of Year 10, 11 and 12 students travelled from Carey Grammar and took part in an immersive Ryda workshop at Lilydale Lakeside.
Ryda is a nationwide road safety education program that guides students through interactive modules covering vehicle safety, hazard management, and mind state.
With sessions running year-round, Ryda is Australia’s largest and only national road safety program.
Ryda’s Program Coordinator Anton Hockey said the program generally runs for an entire school day.
“It looks at lots of different elements and a lot of the elements that don’t get covered as part of the 120 hours,” he said.
“So things like managing mind state and being aware of what mind state you are in when you’re driving and, more importantly, giving strategies and tools to deal with that mindset and making the right choice.”
“It’s about giving young people those tools and strategies to use on the road, not just giving them awareness.”
Supported by members of the Lilydale Rotary Club, students participate in six distinct sessions.
The sessions include exploring critical road safety topics, including practical speed and stopping demonstrations, empathy for other road users, and self-assessment of personality-driven risks.
The program also features police-led discussions on decision-making, first-hand insights from a crash survivor, and strategies for managing mood and mindset behind the wheel.
Ryda originally started as a Rotary program over 25 years ago before it grew significantly and was established on its own.
President of the Lilydale Rotary Club Arun Marappan, said Rotary clubs volunteer on the day to help Ryda manage the sessions, making sure students move from one place to another smoothly.
“Ryda will generally come to the local Rotary clubs and ask if we want to donate towards the program because there is a cost,” he explained.
Mr Hockey said that although Rotary does not run the program anymore, they still play a big role in helping to facilitate the sessions.
“Rotary has really great connections into schools, so they can help their local schools attend,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in Victoria, we get zero government funding.”
Depending on the school, the Rotarians will sometimes support financially as well as volunteering on the day.
“It’s also a great way the Rotary can get a younger generation aware of what they actually do,” Mr Hockey said.
The day runs on such a large scale because Ryda believes the students get the most out of it when they do it with their peers.
“They can all do it together on the same day with the same sort of education,” Mr Hockey said.
“The kids can also use that education to hold each other accountable as well.”
Experiencing the program together fosters easier conversations about road safety amongst students.
“It’s quite a big operation, but it’s important for us to make sure that we’ve got the best people we can to deliver these sessions because you’ve only got access to these young people once in their life,” Mr Hockey said.
The road safety sessions are led by a diverse team of trained experts and community specialists such as police officers, professional driving instructors, crash survivors and health specialists.
At the Tuesday session, Ryda had a team of 12 people on site to facilitate the sessions, as well as the Rotarians.
“We need to make sure that they have the best experience and have the best opportunity to take the strategies we want them to take away,” Mr Hockey said.
Over the past 25 years since Ryda’s inception, over 950,000 students have taken part in the program.
“It’s a great achievement for any program, but to run 25 years without a break is a testament to how it was set up and not relying heavily on one source of funding,” Mr Hockey said.
As Ryda continues to expand its reach, the enduring partnership with local Rotary clubs remains vital to empowering the next generation of safe, conscious drivers.
By equipping young drivers with practical strategies and a shared commitment to road safety, the program leaves a lasting impact that extends far beyond the classroom and onto the roads for years to come.
Story published in Star Mail 1/11/2026 Claudia Mather