Honestly, this was unlike anything I had heard or thought about before!!
This excerpt from feedback we recently received from one of our students gives us a great insight, not only into how students feel about the RYDA sessions but, importantly, how they feel about the topic of road safety before attending RYDA. Here’s what Thea, a student from Sydney Girls High School, had to say about RYDA’s Mind Matters session.
Being a high school student with the possibility of driving, I began my 16-year-old life researching the rules of the road and how to operate a car. It seemed like tricky stuff. From the mechanics to the hundreds of different functions, I was bamboozled with horror stories telling me what I could and couldn’t do. So when I heard we were attending the RYDA workshop, I will admit I was skeptical; what more could they tell me that I didn’t already know? That was until the Mind Matters workshop. Now I was impressed. That workshop showed me a new perspective. I was so used to the general wear your seatbelt, keep your eyes on the road… basic (and important) boring stuff that when I began to listen and understand, I truly was excited.
This workshop looked deeper into how one’s mood at any given moment can impact their driving abilities. Honestly, this was unlike anything I had heard or thought about before. Of course, listening to the examples of how stress and anger could have a significant impairment on one’s driving capabilities made sense, it had just never occurred to me before. I felt like that workshop opened up another aspect of driving I would need to deal with in the future, and I was glad to be learning about it then instead of in the future. Further, learning helpful tips on how to calm yourself down if you were having a bad day before you started driving, not only told me about a future problem I would most likely be facing but also showed me constructive ways regarding how to not endanger myself and others around me. I would say that in that workshop I learned how to be a better driver. Even if I’m not driving yet!