29/01/2019

Local school children are the stars in a road safety video that launched on the Hurunui Road Safety Facebook page this morning. The Hurunui Road Safety Committee (HRSC) has produced the video targeting vehicles speeding past school buses.

This is the first road safety education campaign from the HRSC and is a joint effort with the Hurunui District Council and local police.

The ‘Either way its 20K’ video was produced by members of the committee and funded by local council and NZTA. It reiterates that the speed limit passing a stationary school bus is 20kph and features students from Cheviot Area School with their bus driver Sue Coll.

Sue drives one of six buses that deliver children to Cheviot Area School (CAS) and has been driving school buses a total of 29-years. She brought this issue to the attention of the HRSC and stresses how often drivers forget to slow down when passing children getting on and off the bus.

“I hope by featuring local people and starting an education campaign locally, public awareness will grow from there. Either way its 20K is a very important message, and I think road users forget what the road rules are.”

Rob Irvine, The Hurunui Area Sergeant from NZ Police, emphasises police support behind road safety efforts such as this.

“The penalty for not slowing down is speed dependent, however anything over 70km/hr could result in the loss of your driver’s licence. But, police would rather focus efforts on education and prevention because the ultimate cost could be someone’s life.”

“During the Either way its 20K campaign, police will be observing driver behaviour and stopping speeding vehicles to speak with drivers.”

Road Safety Coordinator Krystal Jennings is supported by local council and NZTA. She is illustrating that the campaign is intended to make a real difference to the safety of local children.

“With schools going back this week, these are our own children crossing our district roads and state highways daily - and ultimately trusting drivers to make safe decisions. Filming Either Way its 20K on SH1 highlighted just how dangerous getting off the bus can be for Hurunui students.’’

Hurunui Road Safety Chair, Cr Julia McLean says the campaign is significant in coming from local children.

“I’m immensely proud of this campaign. It is a message to our community from our most vulnerable, who we all have a role in protecting”

Link to ‘Either way its 20K’ video: https://www.facebook.com/hurunuiroadsafety/videos/632417493887816/

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