Media release | Tuesday 5 July
Youth road safety artwork to inspire better driver behaviour
A series of nine paintings created by youth and depicting road safety themes are on display to the public this week.

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 5 July 2011—A programme, run by Community Services at Upper Hutt City Council and in conjunction with Orongomai Marae, involved bringing together various road safety experts to communicate and share their knowledge with youth who had received a variety of driving related offences. Attendees were invited to take part in the two day programme, “Your Choices, Your Life” that encouraged them to learn about risks regarding driving and how to make future positive behaviour changes.

Acrylic painting was just one of the activities that attendees participated in during the programme which took place on April 16 and 17. The paintings, all done on the Saturday night, and with the encouragement of Art Therapist, Carrie Burke, represented the young people’s experiences with road trauma. One young person used her painting to send a message to other youth by saying “Drive like you love me.” Another painting was a tribute to a family member who had been killed on the road.

Along with frontline police, fire, and ambulance officers, attendees visited a local undertaker to give them a sober reminder of what the ultimate consequence to a crash can be.

A victim of a road crash shared his experiences with the group and spoke of his frustration, having to learn to cope with a severe injury. He encouraged the participants to try various exercises which demonstrated the physical limits his body now had as a result of the crash.

Council’s Road Safety Coordinator, Joanne Kinnaird, who facilitated part of the session said, “The youth really engaged with the road safety experts, asking them lots of questions and finding other solutions to the main problems that face youth and road safety—drinking and driving, driving without a licence or outside of a licence condition, and dangerous behaviour.”

Community Services Director Andrea Curtis said, “All the young participants in this event had incredible amounts of enthusiasm and maturity. The paintings symbolise what they’ve all learnt about important decision making and consequences when getting into a car.”

Upper Hutt City Council plans to run another event in August to give more young people with a history of inappropriate driving a way to improve their decision-making.

The paintings are now on display for the community to view in the windows of the old Hannahs building at 175 Main Street, Upper Hutt.

For more information on this release, please contact Jessica Setu on (04) 527 2794.

About Upper Hutt City Council
Upper Hutt City Council is the steward and custodian of Upper Hutt City, providing governance, infrastructure, and community services and resources, and promoting opportunity in the city for business, recreation, lifestyle, and leisure. Upper Hutt City is located 30 km north-east of Wellington City (41°07'34" S, 175°04'06" E) and boasts 70% of the region’s parks and reserves, along with state-of-the-art entertainment and leisure facilities.

ENDS