15 December 2011

Help your teen plan a safe trip to a summer festival

Many Kiwi teens will be hitting the road this summer to attend one of dozens of music festivals around the country.

For some it will be their first time driving long distances on unfamiliar roads in holiday traffic, and for their
parents there will be nail-biting moments waiting for their teen to arrive safely at their destination and back home again.

The good news is that help is available for parents who want to do more. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is providing practical advice and free tools via a dedicated website - www.safeteendriver.co.nz - to help parents work with their teenagers to plan their trips safely.

The website encourages parents to help their teen identify and manage the highest risks situations they might face when driving by themselves.

Teenagers from Auckland and Northland may be travelling around the country to festivals such as Highlife in Matakana, Coromandel Gold in Whitianga, Splore in Clevedon, Raggamuffin in Rotorua and as far as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne. Driving to a festival can be challenging. Teenagers may encounter narrow, winding roads, road works, holiday-makers towing boats, and heavy traffic. These will all require them to reduce their speed and be patient. If their teen hasn’t had much experience in these situations before then it would be worthwhile getting in the car with them to give them some practice – even if they’re already allowed to drive by themselves

Where possible, parents should get their teenagers to thoroughly plan their route so they can concentrate on driving and not be distracted by navigating. It’s also a good idea to show teens how to do a safety check of their vehicle before setting off. Parents should talk to their teenagers about how to pay attention to the road, weather and traffic conditions and adjust their speed if necessary. Driving too fast for the conditions is one of the most common factors in teen driver crashes.

Teens will be keen to pack as much music into a day as they can, and getting a decent sleep isn't likely to be on their list of priorities. But even moderate sleep deprivation can be dangerous when driving. If teens have been drinking, they’ll need to make sure they get plenty of rest and that the alcohol has left their system. They could still be over the limit the next day.

“Watching your teenager drive away on a long journey can be an extremely worrying time for parents,” says Andy Thackwray Regional Manager of Access and Use for the NZTA Northern Region. “But there are some practical steps you can take to give them the best chance of getting there safely.
“The Safe Teen Driver website not only gives you tips on the things you need to discuss with your teen, it also suggests some different ways to talk about them so they don’t just think you’re over-reacting.”

Andy strongly recommends to parents: “Work with your teenager to plan their travel routes these summer holidays. Stay actively involved and talk to your teen driver about mitigating the driving risks before they leave home and help them prepare for risks they may encounter along the way. Importantly, address risks such as peer pressure, journey times, speed and fatigue. Parents should take a couple of minutes and go to the safe teen driver website for more information. Parents can be legends too, stay involved this summer.”

See the attachments for more detailed driving instructions to the festivals and a relevant map for your region.

Ends

APPENDIX 1: DRIVING ROUTES TO UPPER NORTH ISLAND FESTIVALS


High Life, Matakana, 31 December 2011 www.highlifeentertainment.co.nz

• Matakana is approximately a 45 minute drive from Auckland along SH1. It’s important your teen checks the route carefully before they leave.
• Auckland’s central motorway junction can be a challenge for anyone unfamiliar with the route. It’s important to choose the correct lane early as traffic is likely to be heavy. Teens should practice driving on the motorway with their parents so that they’re confident of the route before they tackle it on their own. They also need to be aware of keeping their car within their lane and being cautious of other traffic, especially traffic changing lanes ahead of them.
• Also, the old northbound lanes on the Victoria Park Tunnel are shut and motorway traffic now drives through a tunnel.
• Once over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the motorway continues north and onto a section of toll road. The toll is $2 per trip for cars and motorbikes. The easiest way to pay is online at www.tollroad.govt.nz. Teens can use one of the kiosks at each end of the toll road but they’re likely to be stuck in a queue and will have to pay an extra 40c for each transaction.
• From Orewa to Warkworth and on to Matakana the road is narrow, windy and hilly and the Hill Street intersection at Warkworth (which is unavoidable) will be particularly busy at this time of the year. So they’ll need to be prepared for heavy traffic and allow extra time to get to their destination.
• To reach Matakana from the north use SH1 to Warkworth and allow time for the Warkworth intersection. Matakana can be reached by turning off earlier than Warkworth but it’s not recommended because the roads are very hilly, narrow and unsealed in parts.
• There is no street lighting on the roads north of Auckland. Inexperienced drivers may slow down suddenly when they can’t see – which could cause a crash. It’s important they practise driving in areas without street lights (with someone experienced) to gain confidence driving in the dark.
• There’s no camping, so your teen will need to have accommodation and transport back from the festival sorted before they leave.

Coromandel Gold, Whitianga, 30 – 31 December 2011 www.coromandelgold.co.nz

• The new Kopu Bridge on SH25 will make the Coromandel Peninsula and surrounding area much more accessible and will reduce travel times considerably however, patience and allowing plenty of time is still important.
• Roads in and out of the Coromandel are mountainous and winding, with many narrow one way bridges, which can cause delays. Teens will need to look out for the arrows that show which direction has priority over the one-lane bridges and be prepared to stop for vehicles coming the other way.
• Many vehicles will be towing trailers and boats - there are few passing bays so teens will need to be patient, not tailgate and drive slowly and carefully. They should let the more experienced drivers pass them if they can by pulling over where it is safe. When the road narrows at the end of the passing lane, they’ll need to indicate before they move into the single lane section.
• The safe driving speed for most of the Coromandel is 80km/h, and the roads where they’ll need to take extra care include the Thames Coast road and Kopu-Hikuai road, from the Kopu junction.

Splore, Clevedon, 17 – 19 February 2012 http://splore.net

• Driving south from Auckland leave SH1 at Manukau or Manurewa, your teen will need to follow the signs to Clevedon and then to Kawakawa Bay. From the motorway to Clevedon the road is generally flat with fairly gentle curves – they’ll need to look out for speed limits and not lose concentration.
• From Clevedon it’s hillier, and then from Kawakawa Bay it’s hilly and winding.
• Aucklanders from around the Howick area will reach Clevedon by going over the hill and down a short winding stretch – they’ll need to take care after the 50km/h of urban roads.
• Coming from the south on SH1, they should turn off at Drury and follow the signs through to Clevedon.
• From the south east and places like Thames on SH25 or SH27 they take East Coast Rd through Miranda to Orere Point. The road is sealed but as you approach Orere Point it’s winding and hilly. Warn them to avoid the temptation to pick up speed – the narrow two lane road follows the coast and corners come up suddenly with steep drops to the beach.
• Traffic will be busy – they’ll need to expect holidaymakers towing caravans, trailers and boats. Many of these roads run through farming areas and on rural roads where stock, large tractors or wide agricultural machinery may be crossing the road early morning and late afternoon.

Raggamuffin, Rotorua, 27 – 28 January 2012 www.raggamuffin.co.nz

• The roads from Auckland to Rotorua are good, but caution should be taken in high traffic volumes, likely to be from Auckland to Tirau.
• The sections of road where teens will need to drive with extra care include; SH1 Huntly to Hamilton and Hamilton to Tirau (high crash areas) and SH36 - the Mangorewa Gorge is windy and extreme care should be taken.
• There are currently road works on the SH1 Waikato Expressway (Te Rapa Section) road layout changes and temporary speed limits are in place.
• Approaching Rotorua from the south there is likely to be plenty of traffic on SH1 between Waiouru and Taupo. The road is particularly winding on the stretch of desert road South of Turangi and immediately north of Turangi on the edge of Lake Taupo. Watch out for traffic pulling out onto the highway from the campsites next to the Lake.

Rhythm and Vines, Gisborne, 29 – 31 December 2011 www.rhythmandvines.co.nz

• It’s a long drive – over six hours – from Auckland to Gisborne. Teens who have never driven for this long need to understand how important it is to take breaks at least every two hours and get plenty of rest before starting the journey. The same applies for coming back.
• The most direct route is via SH1 and then the SH2 turn-off before Pokeno. Your teen can then follow SH2 all the way through to Gisborne via Tauranga. Whichever route they take, they’ll need to be prepared for heavy traffic and delays, so they should allow plenty of time, especially through the extremely windy Waioeka Gorge between Opotiki and Gisborne.
• The other sections of road where they’ll need to be particularly careful because of high crash rates are on SH2 between Mangatawhiri and Mangatarata, the Karangahake Gorge between Paeroa and Waihi, Katikati, Tauranga and Te Puke.
• The Tauranga Eastern Link Project has road layout changes and temporary speed limits in place.
• Approaching Gisborne from the south, SH2 between Napier and Wairoa is particularly demanding with many narrow and winding sections of road and few passing opportunities. Large logging trucks use this road and sometimes leave little room on the narrower sections. It’s important to slow down even more when approaching tight corners and narrow sections to make room for trucks coming the other way.

Notes to editors:
• Data shows that New Zealand’s teen drivers are most at risk of having a serious crash in the first six to 12 months of driving solo on a restricted licence. They are more vulnerable on the road during this period than at any other time in their lives. Each year for the past five years there has been around 1300 crashes resulting in injury or death involving teen drivers on a restricted licence.
• The key conditions of the restricted licence are:
Restricted licence holders must not drive by themselves between 10pm and 5am. If they are going to drive between these times they must have a supervisor in the front passenger seat); and
Restricted licence holders must not carry passengers unless they have a supervisor with them (subject to some exceptions for spouses and dependents).
• When a young driver has two or more passengers in the car with them, they’re ten times more likely to have a crash than if they were driving alone. If those passengers are about the same age as the driver, the risk is more than fifteen times higher than if they were driving alone.
• 40% of crashes involving young drivers (aged 15-24) happen when it’s dark.
• Young drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes at night (particularly Friday and Saturday nights).

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