BY THE end of today, nearly 1000 local students will be equipped with lifesaving driver safety skills that they will have with them for the rest of their lives.

Noosa Rotary clubs' sixth and final Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program for 2016 will wrap up today, with eight schools from Coolum to Cooroy taking part in the crucial driver training programs for young people this year.

With a number of students looking forward to schoolies and gaining independence, Noosa RYDA chairperson Geoff Bone said teaching these critical skills was more important than ever.

"Some of these drivers, provisional drivers, once they get their P-plate, they're on their own, they take risks,” Geoff said.

"To finally get to the stage where they can be in command of a vehicle, this is opening up the world to them. It's something they've looked forward to for years.

"The whole aim of it is to educate the students in safety awareness, and teach them the consequences of their actions.”

Geoff said this year had the most amount of students than ever before.

"We've had 789 go through the course, and we're expecting another 120 (today),” Geoff said.

"That's very encouraging, because when we first started in 2009, we only had 200 students. Now over those years, we've increased.

"Our aim is to get the maximum enrolments, which is Coolum, through Noosa, up to Cooroy, is about 1000 students each year.

"The whole aim of it is to educate the students in safety awareness.”

The day includes talks from the police and a car crash victim, a video following the grief of family and friends of a young girl who lost her life in a car crash, and a real-life demonstration of stopping distance at different speeds.

"We close off Fellowship Dr in Doonan, and students are asked to estimate where the vehicle will stop,” Geoff said.

"You'd be surprised, the students just cannot estimate the speed and how the car stops.

"Students also watch a professional video about a young girl called Genevieve who lost her life in a car crash.

"It makes the students aware of that person that has actually lost their life. That's eye opening.”