Wear Yellow this week to support bringing down our road toll

Press Release 8 May 2017

Wear Yellow this week to support bringing down our road toll

Communities across New Zealand will be calling on drivers to #SlowDown as part of UN Global Road Safety Week 2017 (8-14 May), to help save lives on NZ roads.

Speeding is unquestionably recognised as a major factor in both the number and severity of traffic crashes. One in three fatal crashes in New Zealand involves someone driving too fast [1].

To mark Road Safety Week, Road Safety Education Limited (RSE) along with their partners BOC, NZ Steel, Bosch, Bridgestone and Rotary clubs are calling on everyone to pledge to #SlowDown and wear yellow to help raise awareness about road safety.

These organisations have joined together with other businesses like Fulton Hogan and Brake -the main organiser of Road Safety Week to form The Yellow Ribbon Road Safety Alliance which is committed to raising awareness of road trauma in New Zealand. They are promoting use of the colour yellow to highlight road safety and show a personal commitment to safer roads, by distributing yellow ribbons and reaching out to government and businesses to light buildings in yellow during Road Safety Week. To find out more information about the week you can look at www.roadsafetyweek.org.nz and also the UN road safety website www.unroadsafetyweek.org The week is supported by agencies such as NZ Transport Agency, Ministry of Transport and police.

“The Alliance believes that together we can all make a difference and change our road safety culture across New Zealand. 328 lives were lost on our roads last year as we got to our jobs, travel and families [2]. The Yellow ribbon symbolises a commitment to road safety - to getting everyone home safely. As a society, we need to change our mindsets about accepting a toll for using our roads and

all pull together to drive more carefully and socially.” says Maria Lovelock, RSE Programme Manager and Alliance member.” We would like to encourage all New Zealanders to wear yellow this week in support of this and take a moment to think about one situation while driving where you could pledge to slow down”

This week RSE will be running three of its popular RYDA programmes around the country including Palmerston North, Greymouth and Auckland. At these programme days students will be given a yellow ribbon pin to wear and an opportunity to personally pledge to slow down on our roads either by making different choices as a driver or speaking up as a passenger.

In addition to this on Wednesday, the 10th RSE will be celebrating the 500,000th student to attend RYDA, which runs in approximately 90 venues across Australia and New Zealand, since it began in 2001. Rutherford College, who is attending with their year 12 students that day will receive a special certificate in honour of this incredible milestone.

Statistics tell us that the most dangerous time for any young road user is in the first six to 12 months of being a solo driver. RYDA is written and overseen by a world renowned advisory council made up of road safety experts and psychologists and designed to change the way young people think and act on our roads not only as drivers but also as passengers.

“Young people continue to be over represented in deaths and injuries on our roads – it is a national tragedy that over 80 young people aged 15-25 died on our roads last year. For each one of these fatalities approximately 20 more suffer life changing situations such as brain and spinal injuries", said Lovelock.

RYDA is an attitude and awareness programme that seeks to change the way young people think about driving. Senior high school students attend six interactive sessions at a dedicated venue over the course of a school day. In small peer groups, they participate in a stopping distance demonstration, devise personalised strategies around trip planning and managing hazards and distractions, gain an understanding of their individual risk profile and get tips from road safety experts on how to protect themselves, their friends and family.

[1] Speed: crash facts, Ministry of Transport, 2016

[2] Road Toll data, Ministry of Transport

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