Young people and road safety

Road crashes are a major cause of death, brain injury and paralysis among young people. Young drivers and their young passengers face enormous risks from speeding, drink and drug driving and failing to belt up. Fuelled by over-confidence and testosterone, young male drivers are most likely to be the victims, along with their mates and girlfriends, devastating families and communities. Desiring independence, many young people are also getting their licence with no thought to the pollution caused by vehicles.

Young people are also at risk of death and injury from taking risks while on foot and bicycles; playing 'chicken' in the road, or walking in the road when drunk, for example.

Yet the good news is that young people are the solution as well as the problem. If you are a young person or work with young people, get involved by following these steps!

1. Create! Make a 30 second advert about young driver or pedestrian safety or reducing car useage and put it on YouTube. Link to it from your school's site and tell everyone about it in your school newsletter. Then tell Brake about it by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we'll link to it from the Brake YouTube channel.

2. Collect! Hold a fundraiser for Brake. Why not hold a party or a Bright Day at your college or club? For dozens more ideas, visit our fundraising pages. Simply by holding a fundraiser, you increase awareness and concern for the issue. Pay in donations using the button at the top of this website, by calling +64 (0)21 407 953 to donate by card over the phone, or send a cheque to PO Box 133026, Auckland, 1146.

3. Campaign! Perhaps you can hold a media photo call, where all students lie down in a playground to represent young deaths on roads? Or create an art and photography display about the horrors of road crashes and invite the media along. Or produce a leaflet against speeding and work with the police to distribute it to offenders. Or launch a petition to call for a slower speed limit and submit it to the authorities. Or produce a flyer against drug driving and put it under windscreen wipers in a car park at a music festival. It's your community, your lives, your idea... you do it!

4. Lead workshops for teenagers in your community. Email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. telling us your name, occupation, and location, and why you think this option is for you, and we'll send you all the information you need including a guide to activities you can run. This option is best-suited for teachers and youth leaders. We also particularly welcome people who have been bereaved or injured in crashes and who attend crashes, such as fire officers.

5. Get teaching. If you are a teacher or club leader, use these Brake resources to deliver road safety lessons and keep students safe:
Implementing a road safety policy for your school/college/club
Organising trips with kids on foot
Organising trips with kids in vehicles (pdf)