ACC leads new sheep to the slaughter
Media Release - Candor Trust

The ACC seminar for over 500 international students from North Shore schools is criticised by the Candor Trust as being wasteful of taxpayer dollars. An overemphasis on speed and how that can affect ability to adjust to conditions, with a sole emphasis on the alcohol component of impaired driving was highly irresponsible on ACC's part.

ACC's Injury Prevention Consultant said that the main emphasis was to teach students the main "do's and don'ts" on New Zealand Roads. As per Police enforcement priorities (revenue based), rather than educating about prime age group risks.It would appear they have thus communicated to students that drink driving is out but drug driving is kosha.

ACC are taking a perverse attitude in failing to mention that deaths caused by illicit drugs used by drivers are far more prevalent than drink driving deaths for youth in Australasia. It appears that the curriculum also omitted to include the other main crash cause of fatigue. A matter highly relevant to exchange students, who will often slog their guts out studying late into the night.

Mr Peirce of ACC says a big focus for ACC is educating people that the faster they drive, the harder it is to stop and avoid an injury. Telling students that speed control is paramount because "Being able to stop quickly is one of the key ways to avoid a collision," is plain idiotic. The main way to stop a collision is to drive while unimpaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue - that covers about 90% of the risk.

Students who attended the sessions at the Windsor Baptist Church on East Coast Rd are advised that they'd be better to put their faith into prayer for crash avoidance, rather than gobble down ACC's spoon fed disinformation This is because the vast majority of fatal crashes happen at legal speeds. If students base their road safety behaviour on ACC's textbook - a failure mark ie headstone is guaranteed for many.

It is hoped by the majority of Non Government funded Road Safety Groups that the disbandment of LTNZ (road safety propaganda central) will create space for useful initiatives, and education capable of saving lives to seep through. In the meantime, ACC ought take a hard look at the road safety messages they are forced to transmit, and then a hard look at their skyrocketing road crash account claims.

ENDS

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