Students Show Strong Support For Sadd

Students Show Strong Support For Sadd

Thousands of secondary school students are being exposed to the Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) ever-important ‘Drive Sober’ message over the first school term.

SADD co-coordinators are currently facilitating workshops in every main centre of the country, with the goal to educate and empower students to promote the Drive Sober message to their peers and the community.

Young people have shown a gradual decline in drink drive statistics but there is still work to do. The 15 – 24 age group is continually over represented in the road toll and SADD plays an important part in reducing the number of alcohol related crashes.

SADD’s national co-ordinator, Chloe Johnston, says “students working with and influencing each other is one of the best ways of getting the Drive Sober message across to this age group. Students use positive peer pressure to show their friends that they won’t stand for unsafe behaviour around alcohol and driving”

It is up to school SADD teams to come up with innovative ideas and promotions. Events range from simulated crash scenes to jelly eating competitions to talent quests.

SADD is a national non-profit organisation governed by the AA Driver Education Foundation. Foundation Chief Executive Peter Sheppard says, “peer influence and motivation from one’s own age group is a powerful weapon to use against teenage drink driving. Sometimes we underestimate that many teenagers are really capable of finding solutions to these sorts of social issues”.

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