South Australia Police (SAPOL) Road Safety Centre is now open at West Beach, just in time for the school holiday program to begin.
The new Road Safety Centre will deliver a range of free road safety education programs to about 15,000 students each year at the state-of-the-art facility.
Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens said the new Road Safety Centre will provide an important service, while also being a unique drawcard to the West Beach area.
"The new Road Safety Centre has been purpose-built to deliver a range of free road safety skills for people of all ages in a safe and fun environment," Commissioner Stevens said.
"The mock roadway is a key feature of the new centre, which will give children the opportunity to learn road safety fundamentals with their families and carers, or in a session with members of the Road Safety Section.
"The centre also offers new simulators to give the experience of driving under hazardous conditions in a safe environment – this includes driving whilst using a mobile phone and above the speed limit."
West Beach Parks CEO Kate Anderson said the Road Safety Centre was a welcome addition to the West Beach Parks precinct.
"Our picture-perfect precinct is proud to be the new home of South Australia's Road Safety Centre, which will teach children how to be safe on our roads and provide the community with a safe place to bike ride for better health and wellbeing," said Ms Anderson.
The new mock roadway features an intersection with traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, a roundabout and traffic signs that will be operational during open hours. The centre itself includes dynamic training rooms, bike storage areas, shared administration and kitchen spaces.
The new centre is also home to SAPOL's Road Safety Section, who travel to regional communities around the state to deliver road safety education sessions in schools and community centres. They also produce fact sheets, posters and other resources to promote the Fatal Five factors that lead to road trauma and to assist in road safety promotion.
The Road Safety Centre delivered over 1000 road safety sessions, displays and events to more than 85,000 children, youth and adults at the centre and across South Australia during the 2023-2024 financial year.
The Road Safety Centre has played an important role in the education and development of more than 500,000 young people for 40 plus years. It operated from Thebarton Barracks since 2013.
Bookings are now open for a range of free face-to-face classroom sessions, including school crossing monitor training, how to obtain a motorcycle licence and international student driver education. All sessions are free and can be booked by calling 8207 6923 or email [email protected].
