- Cook Labor Government running a second burst of ‘Tom’s Story’ campaign during November and December to coincide with Leavers
- Campaign encouraging young drivers to ‘Drive like your mate’s life depends on it. Because it does.’
- Reminder to parents and novice drivers to limit distractions, always wear a seatbelt, and drive to the speed limit
The Cook Labor Government is putting focus on young driver safety in the lead up to and during WA Leavers Week by relaunching the powerful ‘Tom’s Story’ campaign.
The campaign will run from 9 November to 6December to coincide with Leavers, a time when many young people drive together to locations around our State to celebrate the end of their secondary schooling years.
The emotive ‘Tom’s Story’ campaign is based on the story of 15-year-old Tom Saffioti, who was killed in a road crash as a backseat passenger in September 2021.
Tom’s mum Samantha and his best friend Ben feature in the campaign, sharing their memories of Tom and asking young drivers to ‘Drive like your mate’s life depends on it. Because it does.’
The campaign provides important driving advice to stay safe such as limiting distractions, always wearing a seatbelt, sticking to the speed limit, not driving tired, and taking notice of road and weather conditions.
It will feature across targeted digital channels including YouTube and video on-demand services, on social media including TikTok, Snapchat and Meta, digital audio as well as roadside billboards in the South West.
The ‘Tom’s Story’ campaign is an extension of the award-winning ‘Red plate. One mate’ campaign launched in December 2024 to raise awareness to new legislation know as Tom’s Law, restricting red P-platers to carrying one passenger.
The campaign will run in tandem with the annual ‘Be a Wheelmate’ campaign, also running in the lead-up to Leavers events.
Wheelmates encourages young drivers to look out for one another and embrace shared responsibility on the roads.
View the Tom’s Story and Wheelmates campaigns.
As stated by Road Safety Minister Jessica Stojkovski:
“Having real people share their experiences is one of the most powerful ways to connect with young drivers ahead of Leavers.
“As young Western Australians head off to celebrate, we encourage them to think about how unsafe actions behind the wheel can potentially lead to tragic consequences, not just for themselves but those they love.
“By limiting distractions, always wearing a seatbelt, sticking to the speed limit, not driving tired, and driving for the road and weather conditions, young drivers can keep themselves and their passengers safe.”
Comments attributed to Transport and Major Infrastructure Minister Rita Saffioti:
“The ‘Tom’s Story’ campaign delivers a powerful and timely message for young drivers at a time of year when many will be on the roads to celebrate Leavers.
“This campaign extends beyond road safety to highlight the importance of properly preparing young drivers to be safe and confident on our roads and prevent further loss of life
“Our government is also undertaking a major reform of WA’s Graduated Licensing System to ensure our young drivers are capable and safe before being licensed to drive on our roads.”
