Some 125 locals packed into the Wangaratta High School hall to take in the informative and confronting Cool Heads Young Driver Program, held in the rural city for the first time in a decade.

Organised by Wangaratta police, the impactful forum on 13 May confronted young drivers, learners, and parents with the stark, life-altering realities of poor decision-making on regional roads.

Youth resource officer Senior Constable Hayley McDonald said police will be making a concerted effort to bring the event back to an annual showcase in Wangaratta, with the community giving great feedback in the clear messaging of the program and the reality of the consequences of poor decision making.

“Many parents on the night said they are looking forward to next year, to bring other young people in the family, not just those who are getting ready for their Learners Permit, but even those in their early to mid-20s,” she said.

Emceed by Acting Inspector Nathan Ractliffe, the evening relied on confronting honesty from a panel of emergency service workers, legal professionals, and lived-experience speakers.

To visually ground the stakes, 16 empty chairs sat prominently on the stage, a representation of lives lost on the roads within the Wangaratta Police Service Area in the past 12 months.

Guest speakers included Detective Sergeant Stephen Hill from the Victoria Police Major Collision Investigation Unit, Magistrate Ian Watkins, Ambulance Victoria paramedic Alex Vella and Louisa Hayes, who read a speech of Rosalie Dows, a victim of road trauma from Yackandandah.

Det Sgt Hill took attendees behind the scenes of an investigation into a collision scene, showing photos, causes of collisions and how they could have easily been avoided with good decision making.

Det Sgt Hill said speed limits on any road were just that, limits.

“Taking into consideration things such as weather, amount of traffic, pedestrians, intersecting roads… it doesn’t mean you have to do the speed limit, you just need to drive safely,” he said.

In a speech read out to the crowd, Ms Dows shared her story of grief when she lost her son to a head-on collision he couldn’t avoid near Beechworth in 2016.

“In two seconds, our son’s life was snatched from him and from us all, we were left totally devastated,” it read.

“There are no winners in road trauma.”

Magistrate Watkins ran an interactive session detailing the expensive and moral consequences of being caught drug or drink driving, while Mr Vella talked about the life altering injuries that can come with road incidents, if you are fortunate enough to survive.

Sen Const McDonald said local police want everyone to consider the consequences when making decisions on local roads and make the right ones.

“We want everyone to make it to their destination safe and well,” she said.

Even organisers thanked the high school for donating their venue and Wangaratta Motors, who donated five lucky door prizes, including a free 10-point vehicle safety check

Other events Cool Heads program events planned across the region this year include Shepparton on 1 July, Cobram on 14 October and Yea on 25 November.