Driving our safety message home

Rio Tinto Coal Australia is driving home its commitment to the community with Kestrel Mine investing $40,000 in road safety, sponsoring defensive driver training for all Emerald year 12 students.

Professional driving instructors will give the students theoretical and practical lessons in driver behaviour, car handling and emergency situations.

About 150 students from Marist College and Capella and Emerald state high schools, are expected to take up the theory lessons.

“Young people are most at risk of being in an accident. Unfortunately the gap between their experience levels and their confidence on the road can have deadly consequences,” Kestrel Mine general manager operations Tony Lennox said.

“This programme is not just about teaching these students how to cope in an emergency, it is about giving them the knowledge and attitude to try and avoid placing themselves in potentially dangerous situations in the first place.

“Safer young drivers means safer roads for all local residents; this step is about reducing likely accidents and injuries for all road users.”

The defensive driver programme in now in its second year and follows Hail Creek Mine’s recent success in winning the 2008 Queensland Road Safety Awards.

The mine's "Road Safe September" programme beat 14 other finalists to win the award, which recognises outstanding initiatives, inventions and innovations designed to improve road safety in Queensland.

"Our key priority is that our employees return home safely at the end of each day," Hail Creek Mine general manager operations Andrew Woodley said.

"It's a credit to the Hail Creek team and a demonstration of their commitment to safety that we were able to kick-start an initiative that has sustainable safety benefits not just for our people, but for the broader community.”

Pictured: (above) Kestrel Mine invests $40,000 in road safety, sponsoring defensive driver training for all Emerald year 12 students.

Pictured: (above) Mirani MP Ted Malone congratulates Hail Creek Mine community relations specialist Anna Oakley and general manager operations Andrew Woodley.