Our annual young driver event at Moturoa / Rabbit Island is being hailed as another tremendous success.
Young drivers on their learner or restricted license learnt how to interact with emergency services, through learning how to pull over safely allowing emergency services to pass, and maneuver safely through a crash scene with live scenarios.
Drivers were also pulled over by officers and learnt why it is important to always be vigilant on our roads.
This year, we upped the tempo and drove home messages about the consequences of injury in their futures. Staff from Police, St John and FENZ also spoke about the ripple effect of crashes on families and loved ones of those involved.
They spoke of the impact on parents seeing an injured child – holding them while they are in the hospital, wiping their tears. They also shared how emergency workers are impacted by what they see, and what it’s like when police have to knock on a door to deliver bad news.
Tasman Road Policing Manager Inspector Martin Tunley says providing this experience in a controlled environment is a real benefit.
“It allows us to support young drivers, acknowledge their abilities, and offer practical advice on the risks we encounter on the roads every day as police officers and what to look out for themselves.”
The young driver event wouldn’t have been possible without the ongoing support of NZ Police, FENZ and St John.