This week more than 500 year 11 students in the district, many of whom will be turning 17, will undertake a course which brings them face to face with the harsh realities of serious car accidents.

They will meet the police who try and control speeding drivers and are always among the first on the scene of serious and fatal accidents, witness the effect of speed on the stopping distance of average cars and hear from a survivor of a serious accident about the life-changing injuries which can occur in a split second.

The Rotary Young Driver Awareness program is a blunt but necessary introduction to the responsibilities of driving a car. It is also a stark reminder of the often catastrophic consequences of poor decision-making or a lapse in concentration.

For many years successive state governments have tried many things to bridge the gap between driving skills and driver attitude and experience.

Logbooks, increasing the number of hours a learner must clock up and offering defensive skills training as a trade-off for fewer supervised hours have all been trialled in an attempt to shape the attitude of young drivers before they are licenced to drive independently.

Government policies and the focus of the Rotary program reflect an emphasis on changing attitudes as the key to young driver safety.

By the time most young drivers complete the mandatory hours of supervised driving, often including professional driving lessons, most have the basic skills to negotiate our roads. What many lack is either the experience or the maturity to recognise dangerous situations and drive with the right attitude.

The Rotary program, and the presenters it brings together, have a compelling message for our young drivers - it is the right attitude to driving which will ultimately keep you, your passengers and other road users safe.