More than 1000 hours of volunteer effort have gone into helping young people make safer choices on the bitumen through the annual RYDA Caloundra road safety education program.
Rotary member and RYDA organiser Neville Woodforth says young people are over-represented in road fatalities and injuries.
“Local Rotarians are only too happy to volunteer their time. And if we save one young life, all the effort is well worthwhile,” he says.
Bruce Radford, youth director of the Rotary Club of Caloundra Pacific, says the consequences of road trauma extend far beyond those directly involved.
“The ripple effect of a single death on family, friends, teachers and the community is horrendous,” he says.
In 2026, Rotarians from Caloundra Pacific, Caloundra, Maleny and Glasshouse Country provided 13 volunteers across 10 RYDA days, with Sunshine Coast First Aid Volunteers also providing paramedics.
The program delivered six interactive sessions each day to 1356 Year 10 students from 13 local schools.
RYDA program resources are provided by Road Safety Education Limited: a non-profit group which provides expert facilitators, including traffic police and driving instructors, for the program.
“RYDA in Caloundra started in 2009, and this year we celebrate Rotary’s 20,000th student,” Neville says. “The number of teenage fatalities on our roads has fallen over the last decade, and we feel that by delivering the RYDA program, we have contributed to this outcome.
“The recent challenges posed by e-bikes means that we and the community cannot be complacent.”
Neville says the program relies on strong community support.
“Rotarians are grateful for the significant support from schools, the Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads Community Road Safety Grants Scheme, the Sunshine Coast Turf Club and local supporters,” he says.
