EDUCATING OUR FUTURE ADULTS

A community safety workshop for Year 12 students was held at Yass
High School last Tuesday, as part of a cooperative effort by Police
and Fire Brigades to educate about the effects of drugs, alcohol and
dangerous driving.

The workshop, run by Yass Police and the Yass branch of the NSW Fire
Brigade, aims to help reduce the number of fatalities occurring in
the party season after Year 12 breaks up.

"I would rather go to the footy with my mates than scrape our young
people off the roads," Shaun White from the Yass branch of the NSW
Fire Brigade said.

"But too many young people drive beyond their level of experience."

The physical effects of many drugs, including ecstasy and marijuana,
were clearly discussed with the students, as well as the financial
burden of becoming addicted.

"Heroin usually costs $320 a gram to buy. And it is very addictive,"
Mr White said.

After the informative talk about drugs, alcohol and traffic rules,
the school was treated to a demonstration by the Yass branch of the
NSW Fire Brigade of how trapped victims of a car crash are released,
using the 'jaws of life' to remove two doors, the windscreen and the
roof of an unlucky Ford Falcon.

"With a long weekend, start of the school holidays and the start of
the party season upon us, it is very important to educate our young
people about the dangers of disobeying the road rules," Senior
Constable Matt Carroll of Yass Police said.

"Road toll statistics show us that drink driving and speed are the
main killers for young people. Please, just obey the road rules and
drive according to your capabilities."