10,000 secondary school students will get a chance to learn road safety practices with support from VTNZ who have recently partnered with Road Safety Education Limited (RSE).

VTNZ has signed a partnership agreement with RSE to sponsor the RYDA programme, the only national road safety education programme providing young people with the skills and strategies they need to stay safe on the roads.

Now in its 16th year in New Zealand, RYDA supports youth development in a number of areas and helps students develop and practice personalised strategies, build social resilience, anticipate and manage risk and respond positively to challenges on the road, both as drivers and highly influential passengers.

The RYDA programme includes a highly engaging workshop featuring practical demonstrations, real-life narratives, videos, quizzes and interactive role-play. It lays the foundation for a lifetime of safe road use and supports the development of a road safety culture across the generations.

VTNZ conducts over 650,000 Warrant of Fitness inspections and 250,000 driving tests across the country each year.

As the organisation that puts more cars and drivers on the road than anyone else, we are dedicated to ensuring the driving safety of all New Zealanders, said VTNZ Country Manager Greg O’Connor.

“As a dad, I understand the importance of providing our teenagers with as many tools as we can – both as a driver and as a passenger. I fully support any programme that helps our teenagers make better choices before they get into a car and to have strategies and the language to cope with any situation that arises when they or someone else is behind the wheel.”

“The Government has launched its new road safety campaign with its target of zero road deaths and serious injuries by 2050. We all need to do our part to achieve this – at VTNZ we ensure that vehicles are safe and that new drivers are competent to travel on our roads. As parents and whanau, by supporting programmes such as RYDA, we have the opportunity to influence our teenager’s thinking as part of the learning to drive process,” said Greg O’Connor.

Road Safety Education Limited General Manger – NZ Maria Lovelock said RSE is delighted to have partnered with VTNZ.

"It’s heartening to have a trusted company like VTNZ supporting our vision of saving lives – especially when they are as passionate about road safety as we are. We are very pleased to welcome VTNZ to our group of world leading partners,” Ms Lovelock said.

“It’s not enough to teach a young person how to control and manoeuvre a vehicle. Before we hand over the keys, we must be sure that their driving skills are balanced with critical thinking skills and an understanding of, and appreciation for, safety.”

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