Primary school students in WA’s Midwest will experience driverless technology for the first time, with RAC’s free excursion program launching in Geraldton today.
The RAC Imagine Program™ at the Geraldton Museum will run until Friday, 11 December, with around 450 students from 14 schools registered to attend.
The free school excursion program will teach Year 5 and 6 students about past and future technologies and provide the opportunity to hop onboard the RAC Intellibus® as it navigates the Geraldton foreshore.
RAC General Manager Public Policy and Mobility Anne Still said the program will give students a unique insight into the future of transport, mobility and road safety.
“We’re very proud to be partnering with the City of Greater Geraldton and Museum of Geraldton to bring our free school excursion program to regional WA for the first time,” Ms Still said.
“The RAC Imagine Program™ will provide the opportunity for more young Western Australians to experience driverless technology first-hand and see how interacts with other road users.
“Tragically, regional WA is consistently overrepresented by road fatalities and human error continues to be the cause of the vast majority of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
“We hope, through engaging with the ground-breaking technology, students will gain a better understanding of how it could help to reduce crashes on our roads and create a safer, sustainable and connected future for WA.
“Public rides will continue operating along the Geraldton foreshore outside the hours of the RAC Imagine Program™ and we would encourage anyone interested in learning more about automated vehicle technology to book a spot and hop onboard.”
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was a unique experience for young people.
“We are proud to be the first regional destination to host the RAC Imagine Program™ and to facilitate an opportunity like this for the next generation in our community,” Mr Van Styn said.
“The initiative has important information about road safety and is delivered in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand - I can just imagine what fun the participants from years 5 and 6 will have.”
Western Australian Museum Regional Manager Leigh O’Brien said the Geraldton Museum was delighted to host the program.
“We look forward to students exploring the past, present and future of transport technology as they experience a range of activities at the Museum,” Mr O’Brien said.
“It will be such an enjoyable and educational day for every school group that joins the program.”
More information about the RAC Imagine Program™ can be found on our website.
Earlier this month, RAC announced it would be adding more public rides to its RAC Intellibus® demonstration in Geraldton in response to its overwhelming popularity.
Members of the public can book a ride onboard until 10 December via our website.
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About the RAC Intellibus®:
Since 2015, RAC has been working to help prepare a roadmap for how Western Australia can prepare for and transition to driverless vehicles. On 31 August 2016, with support from the WA Government, the City of South Perth, and vehicle manufacturer NAVYA, Australia’s first public trial of a driverless vehicle was launched. As of September 2020, more than 18,299 passengers have experienced the Intellibus® in South Perth, Busselton and Geraldton which has travelled more than 26,860 kms in autonomous mode.
About the RAC Imagine Program™:
The RAC Imagine Program™ launched in September 2019 and since then, more than 1,700 students from Year 5 and 6 have attended. Geraldton is the first regional location to host the free excursion program, which will:
- Help students see and experience both past and future technologies;
- Educate students about Automated Vehicle technology; and
- Discuss next steps for safer, sustainable and better-connected communities.
RAC Media Contact: Caitlin Barr, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
