That was the confrontational scenario Year 11 students from Alexandra Hills State High School were faced with during a presentation at a driver awareness program held at the Sleeman Sports Centre, Chandler last week.

The Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program, a community based initiative of the combined Rotary clubs of the Redlands, aims to help stop the tragic loss of young people in road crashes.

The program included six sessions designed to be interactive and very confrontational to cover a range of topics including a practical demonstration of stopping distances, hazard perception, the effects of alcohol and fatigue, and a police session telling the stories of real-life crash victims.

Year 11 students Alyce Zerner, Joel Thorley, Emma Thomas and Brad Choules said they found the workshop very beneficial.

Alyce Zerner said learning things about driving from a hands- on experience was important.

"I have learned today that if you increase your speed by 50 per cent, your breaking distance should double. When I turn 16 this year, I will be going for my learner's driver's licence and I am looking forward to the freedom," she said.

"During the practical demonstrations in a car, I learnt the more you use your brakes, the weaker they become. This is the first time I have done a course like this and it has been a bit of an eye opener. I think it will benefit my skills down the track," Joel Thorley said.

"I already have my learner's driver's licence and found the presentation to be educational, despite how graphic it was. It made me aware of what responsibility you are taking on by having a drivers licence," Emma Thomas said.

BRAD Choules said watching how drink driving can change lives during the presentation had been confronting.

“If I was ever going to be in a situation where I was the passenger of a car and the driver wasn’t driving appropriately, I would tell them I didn’t feel safe and ask to be let out of the car if they didn’t change their driving attitude,” Brad said.