New Zealand / Education

Phone-free challenge aims to highlight dangers of using phones while driving

09:10 am on 26 May 2019

A student organisation is challenging people to go phone free for 48 hours to raise awareness of the dangers of using a phone while driving.

Photo: 123RF

Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) says people can choose when to put their phone down from this Monday to Friday, and tell others on social media how they have taken up the challenge.

The organisation's national manager, Donna Govorko, said students around the country will also promote safe driving behaviours at school through activities and speeches.

She said she hopes the challenge will encourage people to think about the dangers of distracted driving.

"We just really want to do a call to action to say to everybody if we can go without our phones for long periods of time, in our normal activities, please don't use your phone while driving," she said.

Crashes involving young drivers on learner and restricted licences have risen by 74 percent since 2013, compared with an overall increase of 40 percent for the whole population, according to SADD.

Ms Govorko said they hope more people can join the challenge than when it was first launched last year.

"We really want the community to support our young people. We want everyone to take a part and be responsible and do the best we can to choose safe driving behaviours," she said.