Innovative new program aims to instil road safety in Gold Coast kids

They're still years away from getting behind the wheel, but Gold Coast primary school students are the target of a new road safety program. 

Helping to roll out the initiative is teacher Tim Stark, who lost his eight-year-old stepdaughter, Olivia Douglas, in a tragic road accident.

"The driver of the car she was in fell asleep, ran head-on into another car," Stark said.

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Stark is a teacher at Picnic Creek State School, and his students will now be the first to test drive a new game that aims to teach them about road safety, including the importance of cautious driving, the dangers of distracted driving, and the impact of weather conditions on visibility.

The program's launch comes after a Pacific Pines man was caught speeding at 92km/h per hour in a school zone. 

"As a nation we haven't reached our road safety targets for the previous five years and certainly for the last four, our toll's been on the increase," Russell White from the Australian Road Safety Foundation said.

"What that tells us is we need new ways, new innovations."

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.