Busting risky driving myths

YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety
Courageous. Committed. Transformative

Melissa McGuinness is bravely sharing the story of the multiple fatality car crash caused by her son Jordan with thousands of young people at schools and sporting clubs as she facilitates a youth-led road safety mission through her charity.

Melissa co-founded YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety with her husband to challenge the myth that road fatalities come down to luck and that it is normal to engage in lethal driving habits because you are young.

The program's foundational motto, Own the Choice Own the Outcome, is underpinned by a powerful message: This generation has the awesome potential to be the first to change driving Australian culture for the better.

Melissa started the program after the police invited her to share the real-life consequences of Jordan’s crash at a Coomera event for high school students. She touched a chord, and demand for her presentation has grown enormously from schools, parents, police and local councils.

Every time Melissa visits a school or club, she leaves behind a group of young advocates for her message to replace luck with accountability.

Melissa finds being nominated as a Westfield Local Hero uplifting. “It reinforces our determination to continue; and to ensure that the YOU CHOOSE messages are carried into communities by young drivers, long after we're unable to deliver them ourselves.”

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. YOU CHOOSE will use its funds to deliver its program to additional schools and invest in tools to measure their impacts and changed attitudes.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here