Media statement | 23 May 2006

Sport and song drive home the message in award-winning road safety programmes

Two very different but equally innovative programmes have been chosen as joint winners in the community category of the annual Road Safety Innovation and Achievement Awards - one targeting licensed sports clubs in Northland, the other aimed at 10 to 18-year-old Maori in Gisborne.

“Both these entries show innovative approaches to road safety. By communicating to people in ways that are relevant to them, the road safety message has got through,” says judging panel member Michael Gross.

“The Community Awards are excellent examples people taking the initiative and having the energy to tackle road safety in their area. All the entrants are to be commended for taking action to support and protect their communities.”

Survival Idol, Community Injury Prevention, Turanga Health

Making road safety funky and interesting for the target group of 10 to 18-year-old Gisborne Maori youths was the challenge. The solution was the Survival Idol, ‘compose a road safety song’ competition.

Twenty-nine schools in the Turanga Health region were offered the opportunity to watch a presentation and enter songs in the competition. The presentation was based on the experiences of Gisborne man Tamati Paul, a former surf lifesaving and outrigger canoe champion and an aspiring international kayaking competitor who was nearly killed after being hit by a repeat drink-driver near Tolaga Bay in 1998.

Organised by Turanga Health’s Community Injury Prevention Unit the result of the Survival Idol competition was a greater awareness of road safety messages among the target audience, families and schools, plus a very entertaining show.

AMO (Alcohol Management Operation), Northland Rugby Referees Association

AMO is a project, run by the Northland Rugby Referees Association, where licensed sports clubs are challenged to promote road safety and keep their members safe. Over the past three years 17 sports clubs have signed on to the AMO programme.

Each sports club that signs on has an AMO Referee, a resource kit, and regular newsletters. AMO has a regular slot on a Saturday morning radio sports programme and has support from local personalities. The clubs include netball, rugby, soccer, bowling, touch, league and squash.

Northland Rugby Referees Chairman Martin Albrecht says the most effective component of the programme involves getting road safety messages to club members and spectators at after-match functions.

“The team skippers typically give speeches, but the last word always goes to the referee. That’s when we’re able to remind people to find a sober driver to get them home, buckle up every one in the car and drive safely. It’s a simple message but we get it to people when they need to hear it most, and it’s pretty effective.”

The overall result is a greater awareness of road safety, in particular drink-driving, contributing to the lowest ever road toll of 23 for Northland in 2005.

For more information:

Andy Knackstedt
Media Manager
Land Transport New Zealand
Ph: 04 931 8829 or 0212 763 222

Background information on the awards

The Road Safety Innovation and Achievement Awards programme is funded by the Road Safety Trust and administered by Land Transport New Zealand. The awards organising committee includes representatives from the New Zealand Automobile Association, the AA Driver Education Foundation, New Zealand Police, ACC and Land Transport New Zealand.

There are five categories, plus the Premier award:

• Road Safety Education Award
• Road Safety Community Award
• Road Safety in Organisations Award
• Road Safety Vehicle Based Award
• Road Safety Road-engineering Award

All entries in the were evaluated by a three member expert judging panel comprised of Michael Gross, Dr Carolyn Cogan, Director of the Safe Communities Foundation of New Zealand, and Suzanne Sinclair, chair of the Road Safety Trust.