MORE than 2000 Mackay students have attended a road safety course that someday may save their lives.

Road Safety Education's RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program was held yesterday and continues today at Mackay PCYC.

The program, which includes live braking demonstrations and eye-opening discussions, teaches students to consider the consequences of their actions before they get behind the wheel, in an effort to curb fatalities on our roads.

"Research shows these (courses) have a significant impact on young road users, providing them with the knowledge and skills to make smart decisions to stay safe on the road," RYDA program director Greg Rappo said.

"In more than 10 years since RYDA has been going something like 500,000 students (from Years 9 to 12) have attended and we're out there supporting a whole lot of other road safety initiatives.

"The encouraging thing is in those 10 years the number of young people killed on the road in that 17-25 age group has fallen by nearly 50%.

"That's down to a whole lot of initiatives - safer cars, safer roads, improved policing, graduated licensing and, of course, education, which is recognised as one of the key factors to reduce the number of young people killed on the road. We really believe we're making a difference."

A total of 380 students from five schools - Mackay State High, Mackay Northern Beaches High, Sarina State High, Mackay Christian College and Mackay North High - are taking part in the course over the two days.

Mr Rappo believes one of the key takeaway messages from RYDA for students is to consider the consequences of a mistake on the road.

"We encourage young people to take a lot of risks, in the sporting field, socially, in other areas, but if things go wrong on the road, the consequences are so great," he said.