2024 Road Safety Week Recap

The theme for this year’s Road Safety Week was Road Safety Heroes and we certainly spotted a few of them while we were out and about!

Getting involved in Road Safety Week is an exciting and important opportunity for Kaitiaki o Ara groups across the country. By leveraging the momentum of a national movement, SADD groups feel more heard and legitimised by being part of this event.

If you didn’t know, the colour yellow represents road safety, and many groups participated by dressing up in yellow to raise awareness. Brake, the road safety charity that organises Road Safety Week, provides a little more detail on how the colour yellow is utilised here in Aotearoa:
“The Yellow Ribbon Road Safety Alliance supports Road Safety Week. The Alliance is a group of organisations committed to raising road safety awareness and working to make roads safer. It uses the yellow ribbon, and the colour yellow, as a symbol and commitment to road safety.”

Check out these photos from Mākoura College and Waimate High School, both of which held yellow-themed days.

Getting creative in engaging young people in road safety is important, which is why Stratford High decided to play road safety bingo to pique interest. For the artists in the group, a chalk art competition was held.

South Otago High School took the opportunity to educate their peers on the dangers of impaired driving during Road Safety Week, with their local NZ Police constable visiting the school. The students also got to try impairment goggles while completing an obstacle course.

At the Road Safety Week launch, Wellington College students presented about the benefits of SADD, the issues they identified in their community, and their plans to address them.

In Whangarei, the Girls’ High SADD group visited a local primary school to run some activities. They conducted the seatbelt activity for the juniors, "fast and furious" for the middle grades, and an impairment obstacle course for the seniors. Programme Delivery Lead Kerry, partners from NZ Police, Northland Road Safety Trust, and Northland Transportation Alliance attended to support the SADD group. Kerry also supported SADD students the following day at the Whangarei Hatea Heroes Loop Relay.

At Cashmere High School, the group organised for emergency services to visit during lunchtime. They also ran a road safety message competition. The Cashmere SADD group, all in Year 9, are enthusiastic about where their SADD journey will take them over the next few years.

Rotorua Boys’ High weren't afraid to get their hands dirty with a practical workshop on vehicle components and maintenance to keep their cars in top shape. They also conducted thorough car park checks, inspecting tyre treads and verifying student driver passes. To finish, they tested their knowledge with a fun and competitive Kahoot! quiz. 

SADD National Leader, Harish (Rotorua Boys’ High) had this to say about his experience with Road Safety Week: 

“For our group, we targeted vehicle safety and looked at ways to make your vehicle safer. Some of the activities we ran were practical workshops that looked at tyres and different types of suspension systems, a student car park check that looked at students' vehicles and checked their tyres and wipers, along with a Kahoot! quiz to test out students’ knowledge about the Road Code.” 

“Undoubtedly, the most enjoyable part was the practical element and being able to get stuck in. Every year, Road Safety Week serves as a time to raise awareness, get involved with your school and community, and educate others - ultimately increasing safer driving outcomes on our roads.”

There was so much more happening across the motu, and SADD is proud of everyone’s efforts to raise awareness for road safety and in keeping young people safe!