• Emerson School recognised by Bridgestone for outstanding commitment to youth road safety education through long-term participation in the RYDA program.
• RYDA continues to be a successful workshop to empower young drivers and passengers to make safer decisions on the roads. 
• Bridgestone's ongoing support of the RYDA program and the Supporting Excellence in Road Safety Education award are demonstrations of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.

MELBOURNE, Victoria (31 May, 2022) – Specialist education provider Emerson School has been recognised for its outstanding contribution towards road safety by receiving the Bridgestone Supporting Excellence in Road Safety Education award, which was today presented at their annual RYDA program day.

The Bridgestone Supporting Excellence in Road Safety Education award recognises and celebrates schools that put an emphasis on incorporating the RYDA road safety education program into their annual activity and demonstrate a commitment to driving road safety throughout the year with students.

Emerson School caters to students with mild intellectual difficulties and prides itself on supporting students to meet their potential. The school believes road safety is integral to its objectives and has been a highly engaged and active participant of the RYDA program, provided by Road Safety Education Ltd, since 2012.

Beyond their outstanding commitment to RYDA, Emerson School has integrated road safety into the general curriculum and has dedicated staff members teaching road safety to students.

"At Emerson School, we believe in the individual and helping them to achieve in all aspects of life. Road Safety Education is a key area to help our students to gain independence, employment and above all the ability to make safe decisions on and around our roads. We want to them to be safe drivers, passengers and pedestrians," explained Travel and Road Safety Coordinator at Emerson School, Christine Marlow.

"Our program includes learning the road rules, using public transport and some basic driving skills. Programs like RYDA help to reinforce the safety message we are teaching and has become a prominent part of the school's graduate's calendar. For many of our students, the road safety program has been the support they have needed to gain their L plates and P plates."

According to Head of Marketing and Program Delivery at Road Safety Education, John Elliott, Emerson Schools' ongoing support of the program is even more significant for the school's student base.

"A core pillar of the RYDA program is educating and empowering young drivers, soon to be drivers and passengers to make smart decisions on the road so that others survive – especially the more vulnerable members of society," Mr Elliott explained.

"We're thrilled that Emerson School places such a significance on arming their students with the knowledge and strategies to identify potentially unsafe behaviours on the road and empowering them to speak up and drive positive outcomes."

Road Safety Education provides nearly 400 RYDA workshop days per year, reaching in excess of 685,000 students from more than 650 schools across Australia and New Zealand since its inception.

As part of the RYDA program, students take part in a workshop which features a series of sessions led by expert facilitators who address laws, distractions, risk management, social resilience, speed & stopping, peripheral vision, and other critical road safety topics.

Bridgestone has proudly supported RYDA since 2016, with the program forming one of its core partnerships within the company's global Bridgestone E8 Commitment.

The Bridgestone E8 Commitment is how the company will realise its long-term, 2050 vision of providing social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company through the values of: energy, ecology, efficiency, extension, economy, emotion, ease and empowerment.

"The RYDA program sets the benchmark for education and empowerment in road safety, and that's why Bridgestone passionately supports this initiative," explained Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Heath Barclay.

"Alongside the providers of RYDA, Road Safety Education Ltd, we believe it's important to recognise those who place as much importance on education and empowerment in this area as us, and we're delighted to recognise Emerson School's incredible contribution to road safety through education."

Within the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, the company's ongoing support of the RYDA program is driven by the values of empowerment, the commitment to contributing to a society that ensures accessibility and dignity for all, ease, bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility, and extension, the commitment to nonstop mobility and innovation.

"Bridgestone places a significant emphasis on fostering safer roads as part of our global long-term vision of being a sustainable solutions provider, and on a local level, RYDA is helping us realise that vision through delivering effective education to the next generation of road users," Mr Barclay added.

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