Interactive Wheelmates platform empowers young drivers with real-world road safety skills via Road Safety Commission and The Brand Agency
The Road Safety Commission has officially launched Wheelmates, an innovative new online platform designed to engage and educate young drivers aged 16–25 about safe driving behaviours, just in time for the annual Leavers period.
Developed in partnership with The Brand Agency, Wheelmates offers a dynamic approach to road safety education, combining essential resources with an immersive “Choose Your Own Adventure” style game. This integrated platform encourages novice drivers to make informed decisions when embarking on longer trips, nights out, or holiday journeys.
The centrepiece of the Wheelmates platform is Road Quests, an interactive game that places young drivers directly into realistic driving scenarios. Players choose their driver and vehicle, then navigate two distinct journeys:
1) Trip Down South – focusing on planning and managing a longer road trip safely.
2) A Night Out – exploring safe choices around transport before and after social events with friends.
Road Quests goes beyond typical rules, presenting players with “iffy and tricky situations” that novice drivers might not encounter daily, or only understand once it’s too late. These include responding when an ambulance needs to pass at a red light, handling a vehicle breakdown in an unexpected location, navigating booze bus checkpoints, and managing and avoiding road rage incidents.
By emphasising practical situations and decision-making, Road Quests aims to educate at a more experiential level, helping young drivers develop critical thinking and proactive safety habits.
Complementing the interactive game, the Wheelmates website provides a wealth of practical information and resources. It offers clear checklists, essential tips, and summarised content tailored to help young drivers understand the process and requirements of getting their licence, preparing for trips, and maintaining safe driving practices. The website ensures that all necessary information is readily accessible, reinforcing the lessons learned in Road Quests.
Paul Hamilton, Head of Technology at The Brand Agency, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have partnered with the Road Safety Commission to launch Wheelmates. By leveraging modern web technologies, we’ve crafted an engaging game experience for young drivers, combined with a highly informative web CMS platform for valuable content and resources.”
Simone Steele, Director of Education and Behaviour Change at the Road Safety Commission, said: “It is wonderful to now have a dedicated road safety platform tailored to young people, since they are some of the most vulnerable on WA roads and consume so much of their content online.
“What’s more, it doesn’t feel like a typical road safety website – the illustrative style and copywriting is fun and fresh, and we’ve made it as relevant and relatable to young people as possible.
“With our ‘Be a Wheelmate’ digital campaign in market and team members on the ground at the Leavers event for the second year, we’re hoping to get lots of engagement on the platform.”
The Wheelmates platform was built on Road Safety Commissions Umbraco Cloud CMS, introducing a fresh, vibrant visual identity. The interactive game was developed using the React JavaScript framework, ensuring a smooth, accessible experience across devices.
The Wheelmates platform officially launched on (Wednesday 23rd September 2025) and is now live at:
Explore the full platform here.
Play Road Quests directly here.
Credits
Road Safety Commission
Simone Steele, Director, Education and Behaviour Change
Stacey Coppack, Manager Community Initiatives
Joanna Hynes, Manager, Marketing
Angela Langton, Campaign Officer
The Brand Agency
Paul Hamilton, Head of Technology
Dolores Silva, Tech Projects Lead
Melissa Westwood, Digital Project Manager
Tim Everts, Technical Lead
Carmelo Rigoli, Technical Lead
Ross Whisson, Developer
Made Subiantara, QA Specialist
Joseph Damiano, UI Designer
Dan Agostino, Head of Design
George Cook, Designer
Zoey Portilla, Designer
Heather Bowen, Writer
Evan Murie, Business Director
Paula Helander, Senior Account Manager