Media Release
For immediate release
August 26 2009

Young People Behind Llama Road Safety Campaign

Over the past week, many North Shore residents have been puzzling over the appearance of llama pictures at bus stops and in secondary schools around the North Shore.

All can now be revealed. The llama is an unusual mascot in an innovative ‘Don’t Text and Drive’ campaign, which will launch on Friday 28 August, masterminded by some members of the Shore Youth Council in partnership with North Shore City Council and supported by Vodafone and NZ Police.

With recent media coverage focused on the inexperience of many young drivers, the new youth initiative is a refreshing example of young people taking the matter of road safety into their own hands.

Through student presentations in local schools, quirky promotional materials and student-designed phone accessories and wrist-bands, featuring a llama warning against the dangers of texting and driving, the Youth Council hopes to send a message to their peers before legislation comes into force this November.

The phone accessories and wrist bands featuring the llama character say such things as “Llama llama says, “Turn it off b 4 u turn it on” and “Dnt b in-txt-icated. Drive safe”.

Shore Youth Councillor Jonathan Gee, from the Transport Safety Team says texting and driving is common for teens and will take considerable effort to change.

“Mates and I have been in cars where the driver has constantly reached out for the phone to reply to a text. It’s a culture of texting that has made our generation feel obliged to answer a text straight away, whether it is in the car or on the way to school. Our aim was to create something that would encourage safe driving without being too boring. That’s why we came up with Llama llama, our weird and wonderful mascot. Even if people wonder what a llama has got to do with texting while driving, at least we’re getting people to think about it."

Sharon Ryan, Co Chair of Shore Youth Council says the campaign will launch at youth music event ShoreAmp this Friday, where the quirky phone accessories will be distributed and a $500 prize from Vodafone will be awarded.

Jamie Adkins, North Shore City Council Road Safety Coordinator welcomed the opportunity to work directly with young people on this issue. “It is hard to be effective in getting road safety messages across to young people. Having a campaign created and delivered by the very people we want to influence has to increase its success rate”.

Senior Sergeant Rod Fraser from North Shore Police says encouraging behavioural change through this type of campaign is an important addition to the legislative change.

ENDS

About the Shore Youth Council

Shore Youth Council is a youth voice and community action team of Year 11 to 13 students, which aims to create a youth-friendly North Shore.

Shore Youth Council works with council and other authorities to ensure young people have a say about the way the city is planned and run, and encourages consideration of the needs of young people in decision making. The youth council also develops their own action plan each year to instigate projects that meet the needs of young people in the North Shore.

Some Facts About Texting whilst Driving

Mobile phone use whilst driving is a widespread problem. Over a third of North Shore drivers surveyed by North Shore City Council, admitted that texting whilst driving made their own driving less safe.

Latest studies in America have shown that texting drivers are 23 times more likely to crash or have a near-crash than drivers who aren't texting.
Between 2003 and 2008, there were 482 injury crashes and 25 fatal crashes in New Zealand where the use of a mobile phone or other telecommunications device was identified as a contributing factor.

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