RYDA Road Safety Programme
Saving lives on our roads
For hundreds of South Canterbury teenagers, a day at Fraser Park delivered far more than lessons about cars and roads — it delivered an opportunity to pause, reflect and think differently about the choices they make every day.
Over the course of two days, more than 400 young people took part in the RYDA road safety programme. Students travelled from high schools across the region, including Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru Girls’ High School, Mountain View High School, Geraldine High School, Roncalli College, Opihi College and Waimate High School, all coming together for a shared learning experience at a critical stage in their lives.
RYDA is designed specifically for 16–18-year-olds as many begin learning to drive. The programme focuses not just on vehicle control, but on decision-making, risk awareness and the cognitive distractions that contribute to crashes. Across the event, students rotated through six interactive 30‑minute sessions, covering topics such as peer pressure, cognitive awareness, speed and stopping distances, and live driving demonstrations.
Road Safety Educator Liona Stanicich highlighted why this approach is so effective.
“Teens learn by repetition, so exposing them to a programme like this creates awareness around cognitive distractions,” she said. “That message then gets reinforced again later when they’re learning to drive and sitting their licences.”
The programme was intentionally hands-on. Students worked through booklets, quizzes and group activities, with prizes adding an extra layer of engagement. The interactive format encouraged discussion, reflection and participation, ensuring the messages stayed with students long after the sessions finished.
Strong community involvement was key to the success of the programme. Delivery was supported by three Rotary Clubs, along with New Zealand Police, Fire & Emergency services and the local Road Safety Co‑ordinator, all working together to ensure the two-day programme ran smoothly. This year’s theme, “My Life, My Choices,” wove through every session, reinforcing the idea that everyday decisions can have lifelong consequences.
Teachers also saw the value immediately. Craig Hinton, a teacher from Roncalli College, noted that the RYDA programme has “fantastic attendance and is really valuable for students,” praising both the engagement levels and the relevance of the content.
The learning extended beyond the students themselves. A Tuesday night driver instructor programme was also held for parents, offering practical guidance and confidence to those teaching their teenagers to drive and reinforcing safer habits at home.
The Aoraki Foundation was pleased to support this programme with a $2,000 grant from the Miller General Impact Fund. That support is especially meaningful as the fund was seeded by Eric and Queenie Miller of Millers Transport, South Canterbury’s first transport company — a legacy built on keeping people moving safely across the region. Through this contribution, the Foundation has helped ensure hundreds of young people in South Canterbury are better equipped to make safer choices on the road, now and into the future.
RYDA Road Safety Programme held at Fraser Park