The South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) Road Awareness Program (RAP) educates driving licence-aged students in secondary schools across South Australia. The program targets individuals in the 16-24 age bracket, who account for approximately 27% of those killed or injured on the roads each year.

The RAP is delivered free of charge by MFS firefighters.

Key components of the program include: 
• A presentation of the risks associated with road accidents
• Testimony by road crash survivors who share their experiences with the students,
• Presenting attendees with concrete strategies to avoid high-risk situations
• An educational package that includes a Parent-Young Person Safe Driver Agreement.

The program has achieved a steady growth in demand since its inception. Early growth was driven by recommendations (including word-of-mouth) from schools. The program now has a 100% return business rate. Since 2010 the MFS has actively sought data concerning program outcomes including links to changes in road accidents, changed attitudes towards road use after program attendance, as well as evaluations of program quality and appropriateness.

The combination of user satisfaction and data evaluation have been important factors in securing additional funding for the RAP that has expanded the number of sessions delivered each year. Although much of this funding has been provided by the South Australian Government, increasingly, funding has been provided by private corporations that have proactively requested involvement. As a result of this support, the program was further expanded in 2014 to include parents of attendees and is now being sought for a number of national sporting bodies and corporations.

This presentation will provide an overview of the RAP and lessons learned by the MFS that have facilitated the success and expansion of the program over the past decade.