Students Against Dangerous Driving: 40-year journey improving driver safety

Te Paepae o Aotea School in Hāwera is one of many local schools that have been involved with Students Against Dangerous Driving in its 40 years of operation. Photo / SADD

Students Against Dangerous Driving (Sadd) is celebrating 40 years helping young people drive safely.

Olivia Reid looks at the organisation’s long history in Whanganui.

Whanganui Girls’ College was the second school in the country to jump on board the Sadd programme, initiated in 1985 by an American exchange student.

Forty years on, the organisation continues to operate to reduce New Zealand’s road trauma.

“Whanganui holds a special place in Sadd’s history,” Sadd lower North Island delivery lead Bobbi Hutchinson said.

“The region’s early adoption of the Sadd messaging helped shape the foundations of youth-led road safety in Aotearoa.”

Sadd originally stood for Students Against Driving Drunk reflecting what Hutchinson said a normalised culture of drink-driving in the 1970s and 1980s.

“People were going to the pubs and driving home so the students decided to do something about it.”

According to the Ministry of Transport, the year Sadd was established, there were 747 deaths on New Zealand roads compared to 292 in 2024.

Between 1969 and 1995, the road toll in New Zealand was consistently above 550 deaths, only five of those years having a toll of under 600 deaths.

There has also been a steep decline in fatal crashes with a young person at fault, from 304 in 1985 to 88 in 2023.

Over time as laws around drink-driving became stricter, including the alcohol limit being halved to 50mg.

The focus of Sadd broadened, so the name changed.

Sadd focuses on student-led education about road safety, using fun and interactive activities to engage their fellow students including Kahoots, fundraisers, and competitions.

“There’s a strong element around leadership,” Hutchinson said.

“A point of difference with us is it’s peer-to-peer education, it’s not about adults telling students what to do.

“We help students identify the road safety issues in their communities and schools, and help them come up with a plan to take action against them.”

Sadd holds workshops to help interested students learn how to be a Sadd leader for their school and annual national conferences to bring together like-minded teens who are passionate about road safety.

There are nine schools across South Taranaki, Whanganui, Rangitīkei, and Ruapehu currently involved.

“From rural communities to regional towns, students across these districts are continuing to step up, lead change, and make a lasting impact on road safety,” Hutchinson said

“Ultimately, we just try to empower our young people and connect them to community partners.”

Sadd is supported by local police, Fire and Emergency, and regional councils, along with Suzuki, which provides two cars for the organisation.

She urged any young people who are passionate about keeping people safe on our roads to get in touch.

“We’re always keen to take on new schools,” she said.

“All young people should have access to road safety education to help empower them to be safe road users and to build a positive road safety culture.”

To learn more or get involved contact Bobbi Hutchinson at bobbi@sadd.org.nz

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.