Vanessa goes to uni to spread safe driving message

THE Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is deploying its Vanessa fleet to university open days across the state to engage with students about road safety as they plan their future.

The Vanessa fleet, including Big V, Mini V and Bute will be rolling into the open days throughout this month – including at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus on Sunday, August 19 – to talk with prospective students about being safe on the roads.

Vanessa is the youth arm of the TAC, aiming to make this generation of young drivers more aware of how they can keep themselves and their mates safe on the roads.

The fleet of Vanessa vehicles will be at open days encouraging young drivers to consider what car they should purchase.

People will be able to scroll through Vanessa’s car finder app to decide if they should to swipe right or left when searching for the safest car for them.

TAC engagement senior manager Meg Jacobs said young people didn’t have to compromise safety for affordability when they were searching for their first car.

“Victoria’s young drivers are some of the most vulnerable people on our roads so it makes sense that they do their research to ensure they’re buying the safest car they can.

“We know that money plays a large part in what sort of vehicle young people choose as their first car but there are cars with high safety ratings available for under $3,000.

“Getting everyone in safer cars will help us in our Towards Zero plan, where no one dies or is seriously injured on our roads.”

People visiting Vanessa at a university open day can learn more about the How Safe Is Your First Car website and what they should be on the lookout for when buy a new car.

The website allows users to search for cars within a set budget and compare safety features.

To find out more about Vanessa, head to the Vanessa Facebook page or vanessabus.com.au.

To start looking for your next safe car, head to howsafeisyourfirstcar.com.au.