Youth Alcohol Expo at PGA in Taradale Napier. All Year 11 students to learn about road safety for Road Safety Week. Road Safe Hawke’s Bay
Thousands of teenagers from across Hawke's Bay have been flocking to an anti drink-driving event, aimed at improving road safety.
"Eastern District Police are ecstatic with the response so far from the students who have attended the Youth Alcohol Expo which is running for the rest of the week atthe Pettigrew Green Arena", Senior Constable Andy Clinton said.
"The students have been hugely engaging with everything involved in the expo and been extremely respectful to the presenters who have come in to share their experiences.
"At the end of today, day two, there had been over a thousand students from a number of high schools around the region who had attended the expo and listened to presenters, not aligned with the Police, who provided personal insights into crashes that had deeply affected both them and their families.
"The high schools who have attended so far have been Woodford House, Rudolph Steiner, Napier Girls, Tamatea High, Hastings Boys, Napier Boys, Sacred Heart College and Flaxmere College. Some workers from Mr Apple even attended the morning session today so it just goes to show that it is not just for students."
While it was specifically aimed at Year 11 students, as they had been identified as being the next group who will begin to learn about driving, a number of schools bought some Year 12 and Year 13 students as these young people are the next generation of drivers on our roads and we need to educate them about the choices that they make once they are driving, he said.
Nurses Kathryn Hutchinson and Lauree Southerden show what can happen with too much alcohol at the Youth alcohol expo at the Pettigrew Green arena in Taradale. Photo / Paul Taylor
The expo, run by Road Safe HB, New Zealand Police and other associated stakeholders, is on until Friday.
The high-risk road safety issues for Hawke's Bay include speed, impaired driving (alcohol and or drugs), fatigue, driver distraction, dangerous and inexperienced driver.
The expo aims to create an opportunity to increase knowledge and build skills around road safety and will conclude on Friday.
The overall goal is to reduce and continue to reduce road deaths and trauma involving young drivers.
