In January, following months of review and collaboration, we released Ryda 6.1 – the latest evolution of the program, shaped by research, evaluation findings, facilitator experience, and feedback from students and teachers across Australia and New Zealand.
Six months on, the update is delivering exactly what it was designed to do: strengthen student engagement, support facilitators and ensure Ryda remains relevant to the young people participating in it.
The review process behind Ryda 6.1 drew on a wide range of inputs, including current research, guidance from our Research Advisory Council, facilitator insights, and thousands of pieces of feedback collected through our evaluation processes. The result was a series of refinements across the program, including strengthened learning pathways, clearer facilitator guidance, and updates to language and resources to improve accessibility and inclusion.
The review process again reinforced the importance of listening to feedback in all its forms. Some suggestions shape future content, others influence delivery approaches, and some lead to seemingly small refinements that help students feel seen and represented within the program.
One example came from a student who uses a wheelchair. During the review process, she shared that while discussing vulnerable road users, she didn’t see herself reflected in one of the visual examples being used. Her feedback prompted a change to the session materials, highlighting wheelchair users in that part of the discussion. While modest in scope, the change is a reminder that meaningful improvements don’t always come from major redesigns. Sometimes they come from listening carefully to a single student experience.
Since the release of Ryda 6.1 in January, almost 40,000 students have participated in the updated program, contributing to a financial year total of approximately 70,000 students across Australia and New Zealand. Growth in New Zealand has been particularly encouraging, helping more young people access the program than ever before.
Importantly, the evaluation data suggests the key messages are resonating.
When asked about the most valuable messages and strategies they took away from Ryda, students most commonly identified:
- Strategies for managing mind state and headspace
- Strategies for speaking up as a passenger
- A greater understanding of crash factors and their impact
- An increased understanding of the relationship between speed and stopping distances
Perhaps most encouragingly, more than 90% of students surveyed said they were likely or very likely to apply what they had learned when driving or travelling as a passenger in the future.
Feedback from teachers has been equally positive. Of the more than 1,000 teachers who have provided feedback this year, over 99% rated the workshop as worthwhile or very worthwhile in terms of its relevance and impact on students’ understanding and application of road safety concepts.
The evaluation data tells us what students value. Individual reflections help us understand why.
Recently, a student from Marian College in New Zealand reflected on her participation in Ryda in her school newsletter. Writing about the Mind Matters workshop, Lily described discovering that she had taken her eyes off the road 17 times during a simulated driving activity as she responded to the emotions and distractions around her.
Her reflection captures something important about the way Ryda approaches learning. While road safety knowledge remains essential, Ryda is designed to provide something more: experiences that help young people understand their own responses, recognise risk in real time, and develop strategies they can draw on when it matters most.
In Lily’s case, the lesson wasn’t simply learning that distractions are dangerous. It was discovering something about herself. Through a practical experience, she recognised how emotions can influence attention and decision-making, and why managing her own headspace matters behind the wheel.
That’s the kind of learning we hope to create. Not just information that is heard and remembered for a test, but experiences that challenge assumptions, build self-awareness and help young people better understand themselves and the choices they make.
We’ve included an excerpt from Lily’s article below because it captures that experience far better than any evaluation score ever could.
The following excerpt comes from an article written by Lily, a student at Marian College in New Zealand following her participation in Ryda.
The Hidden Danger of Distraction
Personally, I got an immense amount out of these workshops. My favourite session of the day was Mind Matters, which delivered a massive wake-up call about what actually constitutes a “distraction.”
During the interactive activity, I acted as the driver while a friend played the role of a passenger throwing different moods and emotional situations at me. I thought I was handling it well. However, unknown to me, another classmate was tracking my behavior.
By the end of the simulation, I learned I had taken my eyes off the road 17 times.
That was 17 times I chose a distraction over the safety of the people in my vehicle. It was an incredibly fun and expressive exercise, but the underlying lesson was profound: distractions aren’t just physical things like looking at a phone; they are emotional, too. The experience completely highlighted the vital importance of maintaining a calm, collected headspace and keeping your eyes strictly on the road.
To learn more about how student and teacher voices are helping shape the future of Ryda through our new Student Advisory Panel and Teacher Reference Group, see the following article.
