Rising stars Tom Scully, Matthew Bate and Nathan Jones were present at the launch of the 'Don't Drive Like a Demon' initiative at the headquarters of the Casey Scorpions, which aims to help curb the high incidence of drivers aged between 18 and 25 in road accident statistics.
The three players took part in the filming of a DVD, along with football manager Chris Connolly, which will be shown by trained facilitators in local clubs to help raise awareness among young drivers about the risks and consequences of dangerous driving.
Daniel Bell, Michael Newton and Ricky Petterd will also serve as ambassadors for the program which is a joint partnership between the Mornington Peninsula and Nepean Football League, ConnectEast (the owner and operator of EastLink), RoadSafe Outer South East and the Melbourne Football Club.
"We hope this program will save people's lives," said Connolly. "It has a target audience that is high-risk and we think we can help influence them. It's a very special program.
"We probably can't design the most meaningful programs, but what we can do is really help drive them because of our standing in the community.
"We want to build meaningful relationships with the people in our communities. It's something we haven't been great at in the past for whatever reason and it is absolutely crucial for us to get that part of our business right.."
The MPNFL EastLink Road Safety Program uses sport as the vehicle to spread the word directly to players at their club rooms, without lecturing them, through practical demonstrations, EastLink CCTV footage and discussion about tunnel safety, sharing the road and driver concentration.
The first session is due to be held at the Sorrento Football Club on May 4.
