People not wearing seatbelts are one of the factors in fatal crashes.
My byline for this column identifies that I chair Northland Road Safety Trust.
This is a charitable trust established in 1995 by long-time road safety stalwarts Roger Scampton and Bill Rossiter. Their contribution to community road safety was recognised as being two of the first recipients of target="_self" rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/whangarei-district-council/">Whangārei District Council Civic Awards. Thank you to Bill and Roger, for what you have started.
The trust seeks to promote road safety and safer driving through education, community engagement and behaviour change initiatives, throughout Whangārei and Kaipara Districts, who assist with the trust funding. As chairman, I prepare an annual report, which generally provides commentary about the areas we work in, and this column will describe some of those.
Often, we measure road safety initiatives against the local and national road toll, and we ask ourselves, what difference can we make in that space?
After years of trending downwards, the national toll is now creeping up with 236 fatalities to date, against 208 as at the end of September last year. Northland’s toll at 27 is already above last year’s total, and the question is – why.
Northland has one of the highest national road fatality rates, because of non-use of seatbelts.
Around 50% of our 27 fatalities to date were unrestrained. While it is clear that factors like speed, alcohol and drug impairment or distraction caused the respective crashes, the fact that the driver or passengers were unrestrained meant that that 50% did not survive the crash.
You can write about these tragedies quite dispassionately and most media provide very little detail. The reality is that family, friends and communities are deeply affected. So, who do you wear it for?
A couple of years ago our trust was involved in local focus group research. We asked members of the target group of 18-30-year-olds in rugby and other local groups, “Who do you listen to in respect to wearing your seatbelt?”. The answer was, we don’t do mass media, but we listen to our family, our kids and our friends who have experienced the serious road crash trauma. In this respect, social and sporting groups really matter.
In this past year the trust has involved itself with rugby. Firstly, through NZTA as a national initiative whereby the Taniwha’s playing strip had a seatbelt simulation across the front for one game. The national NPC also had road safety messages across the grounds and our trust had a display and activity tent at each Semenoff Stadium NPC match.
This year’s engagement with rugby also involved Northland’s rugby referees who have been contracted to deliver road safety messages specifically around alcohol, drugs and seatbelts, at the after-match gathering. We are serious about engaging with 18- to 30-year-olds who listen to people they respect.
Alcohol and drug issues when driving, with speed, are often the cause of a crash.
Such drivers need to be confronted with this behaviour and its consequences.
Part of this process is the enforcement penalty regime but also, for those who were recidivist multiple offenders, the court will often prescribe an education-based psychological course process. Drive Soba, a course for those with three or more drink-driving convictions, has been running for around 20 years now.
Conducted with Northland Health, this course forces participants to consider the consequences of drinking then driving. It’s the combination that matters.
Feedback from the course acknowledges the importance of having a plan and having a sober driver before drinking. That’s before the lack of judgment really kicks in.
Other behaviour-based courses Said (Stop Alcohol Impaired Driving) for first-time alcohol offenders, and Drive Smarta, for other high-risk drivers, are about confronting drivers with their actions and the consequences, and have measurable post-course outcomes, relating to non-reoffending.
You need a driver’s licence though, to be legal behind the wheel.
The trust plays a major role with a number of community partners in helping young drivers in particular, to obtain their learner licence and then progress through restricted to full licence.
The advantages of employment prospects, independence and photo ID are well established and, gaining their restricted licence is, for many people, their first real achievement.
One of the trust’s most rewarding driver licence contracts is working with Howard League. It works with people who are already within the justice system to gain a legal driver’s licence. This is specifically in the workplace vehicle licensing system, and the stories of helping people who may have never learned to read or write, now being able to be legal on the road when released, makes for a very rewarding outcome.
Northland Road Safety Trust has a strong balance sheet and, in working alongside engaged partners, we have a willingness and ability to be innovative in meeting road safety needs, wherever we might find it.