Learn2Drive – An Integrated Young Driver Road Safety Ecosystem

In Western Australia, a young driver aged 17–19 is killed or seriously injured every 3.2 days, a KSI rate of 107 per 100,000. RAC CoLAB and RAC's Social and Community Impact team identified four systemic barriers through research with over 1,000 parents and learners: inconsistent learning experiences driven by gaps in supervisor knowledge; prohibitive costs of professional instruction, often exceeding $1,500 per learner; limited access to instructors in regional and remote communities; and parent supervision anxiety that undermines the learning process. Existing tools - paper logbooks, infrequent professional lessons, informal coaching - were fragmented, inequitable, and insufficient to address these challenges.

RAC CoLAB, in partnership with RAC's Social and Community Impact team, spent 149 working days across discovery, design, and validation phases. A critical early roadblock - rural families facing disadvantages a digital-only solution could not address - prompted expansion from a single app into a three-part ecosystem. The Learn2Drive App delivers AI-powered route planning, a 100+ skill framework, dual assessment, and a 10-day PDA Bootcamp. Practice Spaces bring professional training environments to underserved communities. The Practice Kit enables structured home practice via physical materials and QR code integration. All three concepts are unified through shared progress tracking.

Learn2Drive directly targets one of WA's most persistent public health crises, young driver road fatalities and serious injuries. Environmentally, safer drivers reduce crash-related costs, emergency response burden, and the long-term impact of road trauma on the healthcare system. Socially, the ecosystem democratises access to quality driver education for rural, regional, and financially disadvantaged families. Commercially, the three concepts were validated with 759 participants and demonstrated strong appeal and willingness to engage across both parents and young drivers. If realised, Learn2Drive has the potential to become a national model for integrated, community-centred road safety intervention.

The Learn2Drive ecosystem, co-created by RAC CoLAB and RAC's Social and Community Impact team, comprises three integrated components addressing every stage of the learner driver journey.Learn2Drive App: AI-powered route planning tailored to specific skill gaps; a 100+ skill framework across Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Parking categories; a dual assessment system capturing supervisor competency ratings and learner self-confidence; real-time GPS session tracking with automated skill detection; motion-based app locking to prevent distraction while driving; a structured 10-day PDA Bootcamp; and an AI chatbot with searchable road rules library and pictorial how-to guides.Practice Spaces: Two complementary formats, permanent Practice Hubs for metropolitan and large regional centres, and mobile Pop-Up Spaces travelling to regional and remote communities. Both integrate with the app via online booking, GPS check-in, and automatic skill logging.Practice Kit: A professionally curated physical kit, retractable cones, reflective tape, engineering chalk, and a tape measure, enabling realistic driving scenario practice on private property. QR code integration provides instant access to instructional videos with progressive scenarios from beginner to advanced.Ecosystem Integration: The app acts as the central nervous system, unifying progress data across all three touchpoints and delivering personalised learning pathways adapted to each learner's pace.