Road Safety Programmes

Community Programmes

Clutha District Council Road Safety teams works with various organisations to promote road safety awareness across the district.

Road Safety team contact:
Rachel Harrison
Rachel.Harrison@Cluthadc.govt.nz
022 013 7689

Drive My Life

Drive My Life, run by the Clutha District Road Safety and Balclutha Police, reaches out to vulnerable members of the Clutha District community, enabling them to learn the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain their full driver’s licence.

This support is vital, allowing our youth and young adults the confidence to obtain employment and stay on the right track. It also offers help to those new to Aotearoa to obtain their NZ Driver licence. By ensuring that our district is fostering safe, knowledgeable well-trained drivers on our roads, we are keeping our roads safe for all.

For information about the Drive My Life programme, please contact Rachel Harrison (Clutha District Road Safety).

Drive My Life Referral Form

The Right Track - Te Ara Tutuki Pai

The Right Track – Te Ara Tutuki Pai (TRT) is a highly effective programme, taking a proactive approach to aberrant driver behaviour.

One in three deaths on our roads are caused by high-risk drivers. This 42-hour course targets young people, adults and recidivist offenders that have been apprehended for various driving offences. The course is intended to educate, motivate, challenge, inspire and inform people through a range of experiences, to help them make better decisions and be safer on the road. So far, the programme has over an 80% success rate.

The Clutha District Council is actively involved in coordinating courses, outreach programs, and fundraising initiatives.

RYDA

RYDA offers a memorable one-day workshop, providing students with the tools and understanding they need to be responsible road citizens. The workshop sessions are designed to be held in small classroom sized groups (approximately 25 students) and are led by a team of trained facilitators including Police, driving instructors and other community sector specialists. These workshops are held at Telford Rural Polytechnic annually, with Year 11-13 students from our local high schools.

Staying Safe: Refresher Courses for Older Drivers

Staying Safe Staying Safe is a refresher course, designed to help keep older people safe on the roads.

The theory-based refresher course is an opportunity to re-familiarise people with the traffic rules and safe driving practices in a friendly and relaxed environment. Keep an eye out in Council publications or the Clutha Leader to see when these courses are being held. These are usually held in Milton, Balclutha, Lawrence and Tapanui every year.

Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD)

The Clutha District Council Road Safety endorses SADD/Kaitiaki o Ara in our local high schools. SADD/Kaitiaki o Ara aims to empower young road users, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, to make good decisions and develop personal strategies to be safe on our roads. The SADD programme supports youth to influence attitudes and behaviours and inspire their peers to make safer choices on our roads, helping to create a road safety culture.

SouthRoads partnership

The Clutha District Council, in collaboration with SouthRoads, has donated a set of books titled "My Mum is Queen of the Road" to all primary Kura and ECE establishments in the Clutha District. These books aim to educate children on staying safe around roadworks.

Additionally, together with Southroads, a large quantity of hi-vis vests featuring CDC and Southroads logos were distributed to all participants of the Clued-Up Kids Annual Roadshow and later to primary schools in need of new vests. The police also assisted by distributing vests to schools and backpack covers for cyclists and students who walk or bike to school are on the way.

Car Seat Checks

Clutha District Council organises frequent car seat check clinics where Plunket staff conduct safety restraint checks. Parents, grandparents, and wider whānau are all encouraged to join these walk-in clinics to get guidance on ensuring the safety and security of their young ones in the car.

Ripple effect project

This project focuses on the significance of Road safety and the community-wide impact of a single accident. Our team has produced a video involving local FENZ, Police, Ambulance services, funeral directors, ICU Nurses, SCU analysts, South Roads staff, and other community members that may be involved at a local level with the aftermath of a fatal or severe crash. The aim is to gather their professional and personal perspectives on how such tragedies affect a community, including insights from a family who has faced this situation.

The project aims to highlight how a brief moment of distraction can have far-reaching consequences. The project also aims to:

Advocate for safe driving practices through education and awareness.
Create a learning resource primarily for the 17-25 age group while remaining relevant for all drivers.
Educate young drivers that the impact of a crash, whether fatal or not, extends beyond the vehicle's driver.

Signages

Clutha District Council have developed and installed a variety of road safety billboards throughout the district with the aim of promoting awareness.

Clutha District Council Road Safety collaborated with Southroads to design new signage featuring local road surfacing mascots: Pothole Pete, Gradersaurus, Blade, and Bio Degrader.