Students Driving A Positive Movement - Nothing Sadd About It

Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD), a student led organisation promoting safer driving among secondary school students, celebrates their 30-­‐year anniversary this week with annual conferences being held across the country.

The programme was initiated in 1985 as Students Against Driving Drunk by a group of students at Mahurangi College. Now, with the support of the AA, NZTA and Caltex the programme is active in over 77% of high schools nationwide.

In the last 30 years, there has been an 80% reduction in road deaths among 15-19 year olds, from 152 in 1985 to around 30 a year in the last five years. However there have already been 13 deaths in this demographic in the first three months of 2016, and SADD fears an increase in young fatalities isa real possibility for the 2016 calendar year.

Chris Rogers, a long time SADD student and now a School Support Coordinator for the organisation, said his experience in losing four people in road crashes during his high school years made him want to be a part of SADD.

“If you are between 15 and 19, you are more likely to die in a car crash than by any other cause,” Chris said.

“Invariably it’s speed, alcohol or drugs that have the most  destructive impact. Now that I work for SADD, I try and educate young people about the 6 SADD principles that will keep them safe:
1. Sober drivers;
2. Safe speeds;
3. No distractions;
4. Avoid risks;
5. Drive to the conditions;
6. Build experience.”

Counties Manukau Road Policing Manager, Alison Brand says the SADD programme is hugely influential in getting these important messages out to young drivers and passengers.

“Young people respond better to their peers. They are influenced more by what the people around them do or say than by parents or authority figures preaching to them.”

The Auckland conference begins today at King’s College in Otahuhu and runs through until Saturday 23rd of April, SADD then heads to the South Island on Tuesday 26th until Thursday 28th April for its Christchurch conference at St Bede’s College.