3+RAA+urges+young+women+to+speak+out+against+bad+drivers


 * RAA urges young women to speak out against bad drivers **

 [|The Advertiser] February 23, 2012 12:00am YOUNG women are being urged to speak out against bad drivers in a bid to reduce the number of seriously injured female passengers. The launch of an RAA campaign called SUMOFO - Speak Up Mates Others Family Ourselves - has used 267 shoes to show students the consequences of not speaking up. In 2010, 267 young female passengers were seriously injured in South Australian crashes. Campaign ambassador Mel Greig said women didn't speak up because it didn't look cool to be a party-pooper. "Don't be afraid to speak up, say `slow down'," she said. RAA SUMOFO team member Jessica Lamont said it was important for young females to take control of their safety. "Young female drivers can actually influence male drivers to drive safer and save their life," she said. "It's not really the done thing to say to people slow down or don't drive in that manner, so we are just hoping to get it out there (for people) to speak up." RAA public affairs general manager Penny Gale said people travelling in the front passenger seat were the most likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash. "The reality is that road crashes are the lead ing cause of death for people under the age of 25," she said. "If you'd tell a friend to stay away from a sleazy guy or that their make-up is terrible, then why not speak up and tell them when to slow down?"  = Bullying victim afraid to return to school =  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Bullying victim Richard Miller, 16, with his mother Penny. Picture: Dean Martin Birdwood High Year 11 student Richard Miller, 16, suffered a fractured nose and other facial injuries after he says he was cornered in the schoolyard and bashed by another student and surrounded by others who captured the attack on their mobile phones. Richard said that since he'd returned to school the student - who was suspended for five days - had been intimidating him. "I'm kind of afraid of going to school now," Richard said. "He's been intimidating me a bit and now his mates say they want to bash my friends." Richard's mother Penny said she reported the matter to police, after driving her injured son to the Women's and Children's Hospital. She said when she arrived at the school on February 13, she found Richard "covered in blood" and "obviously needed to be taken to hospital". "He was still bleeding and he looked as white as a ghost," she said.
 * by: Emily Watkins
 * From: Sunday Mail (SA)
 * February 25, 2012 10:00pm
 * A TEENAGER who was allegedly punched in the face up to 20 times is now afraid to go to school.**

She said the school did not call an ambulance or report the matter to police. "If we hadn't gone to the police, it wouldn't have been reported at all," she said. Mrs Miller said Richard had been the victim of some name-calling over Facebook leading up to the assault but had otherwise enjoyed school without incident. An Education Department spokeswoman confirmed "school leadership did not immediately report the incident to police as required" although the "situation was handled in line with the school discipline policy". The school did not return calls from the //Sunday Mail//. SA Police is investigating the matter; no charges have been laid. Last year the Government commissioned a review by former justice and education chief Bill Cossey into bullying and violent incident procedures after a serious assault at Craigmore High. The recommended changes to procedures were supposed to be in place by this year but the spokeswoman said they were still "close to completion". Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni said: "Labor's only response to school-based violence is to announce a review or a report, and we are still waiting for the minister to act on those reports."

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