Students lead way with sober driving

Roadsafe Taranaki sent 21 students from Taranaki high schools including Hawera High School, to a three-day Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) conference in Cambridge last weekend.

Roadsafe Taranaki representative Marion Webby said the conference was well worth while for the Taranaki teens.

The theme was "activate" she said, and the students were offered leadership, mentoring and support to help them develop the skills needed to run activities and sober driver campaigns in their schools.

Drink driving was still a major issue in Taranaki, she said.

"However, youth and young drivers have improved considerably over the last five years by planning safe, sober rides home after social events.

"I would like to see the older generation step up, be role models and take some responsibility by doing the same.

"If high school students can stand up and tell people to drive sober then everyone else, like family and friends, should be strong enough to say no and stop a person driving drunk."