The teenagers guide to safety on road to holiday vacation

Creation date: 18 December 2009

This is it! Let the party begin …

You’re young, hip and happening – you’re free at last and you can let your hair down – BIG TIME! School’s finally OUT and you’re hitting the road. This is where the FUN starts.

Go for it – you’ve earned your stripes.

But

Don’t make this TRIP your last one!

Be sure to survive your beach bash and see the rest of your life unfold!

HAVE A BLAST, DON’T BECOME A MEMORY FROM THE PAST

We are approaching a festive time for many teenagers! Across South Africa thousands of teenagers are making the last dots and crosses on matric papers and plan their celebrations and last holidays together as a group! For many of these young people this is the closure to many years of close friendships and the start to a new episode in their lives – full of uncertainty. They often do this with a last BANG – BIG PARTIES – BIG EVENTS at beach parties, holiday resorts etc.

This is also a time for many a parent to add a few more grey hairs, to fear for the safety of their children – not daring to refuse these youngsters this exciting and rewarding break-away!!

The Arrive Alive website has been approached by a parent with the idea to provide some focus and attention on the need for safety. This is a time to create and collect memories for these young minds – but all of this is of no value if this is not done in safety – allowing these youngsters to meet up again later and reflect on these memories! We would like to provide a guide to our teenagers on how to have a BLAST – but also remain safe and ready to make an impact on the lives of others!

Unique young driver road safety threats

The Arrive Alive website was warned in 2002 of the belief of “invincibility” amongst our young drivers – the belief that accidents always happen to others but not to us! We need to be alert to the special risks facing our younger drivers when they go on vacation. For many this may be the longest distance they have been behind a steering wheel, and driving in locations not known to them ... They may be exposed to many driver distractions, noise and the pleas to do things behind the steering wheel which flies in the face of driving behaviour! Peer pressure could be immense – that’s why Arrive Alive now focuses on a few risks on the road:

•Drunk Driving – No matter how inviting this may appear  – do not drink and drive! Be a COOL friend and accept responsibility. Be the designated driver!
•Seatbelt wearing – You cannot always protect from the dangers presented by other drivers, pedestrians or animals – but you can protect against the consequences of these accidents. Wear seatbelts from departure to your destination – be safe!
•Avoiding distractions – Distractions include those from passengers, other road users, technology [texting, iPod], eating, drinking, smoking, noise, roadside distractions etc...
•Driver tiredness – your trip should not be a race to your destination. Stop at regular intervals – every 2 hours or 200km’s. Your driver can have a break and you can fill up your tanks. The journey is part of your trip – enjoy it! Avoid late night driving if possible!
•Speeding – you’re not in a race to the finish line and there’s nothing to prove. Get there. Don’t miss out on your “holiday of a lifetime” because of speed. The true hero is the driver who arrives alive with his passengers at their destinations. Allow yourself enough time to take evasive action and avoid accidents.

Who are friends?

Friends care of one another. They know the strengths and weaknesses of one another and share life experiences. They listen and guide one another along the road – sharing joy and giving support in distress. They do not care only for themselves and will put others first – ensuring the safety and well-being of other friends.

What do friends do?

•They care for the safety of friends.
•They do not sit back and enjoy – but help, plan and assist!
•They are alert to the needs of their friends - this includes the need for safety.
•They are aware of the family and loved ones of their friends and their desire to have them return safely.
•They have fun, laugh together, share good times and add value to the lives of those around them.
•They respect one another and guidance from leaders in their circle of friends.
•They speak up and voice their concerns if they observe that friends are in danger.
•They ensure that passengers in the vehicle are buckled up!
•They are alert to - and warn against the threats posed by alcohol, drugs and sexual relationships.

What do friends avoid?

•They avoid behaviour that will endanger their friends.
•They are alert to dangers on the road and respect the driver’s responsibility to adopt safe driving techniques.
•They do not allow the driver to drive under the influence of alcohol, or any substance – they take turns to be designated driver.
•They do not allow friends to walk home alone. A drunk pedestrian is just as unsafe!
•They party TOGETHER and ensure that no friend goes wandering off with strangers, are given strange substances or have to hitch a ride home with strangers.
•They do not allow friends to end –up in hospital with alcohol poisoning or expose them to drugs.
•They do not allow friends to go into the ocean intoxicated.

Safety message

The Arrive Alive website team would like to congratulate all our matrics on the completion of their exams. Have a well deserved break and keep in mind that your future is not only ahead of you - It is NOW! Have fun, make friends, collect memories on the way. Do so responsibly and with a focus on safety!

We approached a few of our celebrities and they were willing to share their road safety messages with our teenagers:

Minister of Transport (Sibusiso Ndebele): More than 15 000 people are killed on South Africa's road every year, with more than R43bn total cost to the economy. The Minister of Transport Mr Sibusiso Ndebele is urging all South Africans particularly the youth to be sober and vigilant when using our roads especially on holidays and festive seasons. Lets all arrive alive!

Bantu Holomisa: To all matriculants of 2009, you are part of history and we look at you to build the future of this country that so many people have struggled for. In this festive period you must enjoy the freedoms that you have, and appreciate the life that you have in this vibrant African democracy. But you must also take responsibility, and look after yourself and others. Don't drink and drive, Arrive Alive!!

Sekoati Sk Tsubane: Well well well, the festive season is upon us again! There is excitement in the air and everybody is in the mood to party, celebrate and rejoyce. Sadly though, its is also the time of the year when we have the most accidents and fatalities on our national roads. 'Accidents,' sometimes I wonder about that term. Accidents are not accidents if they could have been avoided. A little responsibility really goes a long way. Responsibility could be the difference between life and death or lifetime in prison. Please please everyone, lets be responsible on our roads, it doesn't take much, all we have to do is obey the law and the rules of the road at all times. Trust they are there for a reason. Nobody is above the law, and nobody can cheat death. Lets all do our bit to make our roads safe. One alcoholic drink behind the wheel of car is one drink too many.Lets us all strive to Arrive Alive! My name is Sekoati Sk Tsubane aka Kabelo from 7de Laan. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy Newyear. And remember, lets ALL Arrive Alive!

John Smit: Rugby is a team sport and team members look after each other. The strength of the team is only strong if the individuals stand together as a whole. They also take responsibility for their actions, and their team mates’ actions. Please enjoy the holidays but remember to look after your friends, and to be responsible, don’t drink and drive!

Just Jinjer: Having lived abroad for the last 9 years, we've realised that you simply CANNOT drink and drive because the penalties are truly severe and most importantly, there can be horrific repercussions if you're unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. No matter who is in the wrong, if you have alcohol in your system, your rights disappear. Now that we're back in SA, we see that there are options here that never used to exist a few years back (secure taxis, designated driver organisations, etc) and we're very excited about it. We're continuously in social settings, wether at a show or at an event and even though we like to party and have a good time, we make sure that we stick to whatever travel arrangements we made before hand so that we all arrive alive!

Jeannie D: Passing matric is an exciting time and no better time to party and feel free! It is so important though that you are careful and responsible because you will experience so many more of life's gifts if you take a few precautions to keep yourself and those around you safe. Don't drink and drive! There are so many other options like having a designated driver or taking a cab, the alternative is not worth the risk!

Gareth Cliff: I love all my listeners. They give me great ratings. Great ratings make me happy. If one of my listeners drinks, drives and kills themselves; my ratings go down. I would hate that to happen. Seriously though, please stay alive, don't drink and drive, especially on Phuza Thursday and especially over the festive season.  Your life is ahead of you – don’t be a loser!  It’s cool to have fun...but it’s not cool to ruin your life or someone else’s by being irresponsible.

Jen Su: We all enjoy having fun, especially during the festive season -- but it's really important to party responsibly -- and it can mean the difference between life and death.Try to plan out a designated driver or cab service in advance -- and always make sure you've got a friend who's always there to look after you.

Farah Fortune: With your results in the bag and the location of your summer holiday parties the only thing you’re talking about, it’s easy to get swept up in your well deserved celebrations. And just as we’re proud of you for your superb accomplishments, we want to see you forge forth and prosper in your lives. One reckless decision could change everything in a heartbeat. Don’t drive under ANY influence, under any circumstance.Feel free to care… not free of caring! Your family would miss you. Farah Fortune… in FULL support of the Arrive Alive Campaign.

Shashi Naidoo: Hi all matriculants. This is a very exciting time for everyone and the celebrations will be worth remembering, but let’s make sure we only remember good occasions of joy and not sad instances where people were reckless and did not think. Please be responsible and don’t drink and drive!!

Prime Circle: We travel all across South Africa to go to all our performances, and while we love the party and the vibe, we always make sure we make alternative arrangements to get home as we really want to play the next gig....by all means have fun, but make sure someone gets you home safely...don't be stupid, don’t drink and drive!!

Lee-Ann Liebenberg: To all the young adults in South Africa, enjoy this summer, enjoy the beach and enjoy the freedom, but remember that with that freedom comes responsibility, for you and for your friends...don't drink and drive...Arrive Alive!

Birgitte Willers: I survived the island long enough to know that I value my life and love living it. My advice to young matriculants would be to have fun, enjoy this time of your life, but remember to be a survivor....arrive alive, don't drink and drive!!

Ryan Botha and Shaun Haschick: As professional soccer players we travel a lot to games, and there is always the after match party, especially if you have won...but our team manager looks after us and always makes sure we have safe, reliable transport home....as a team we need to perform on and off the field...don’t drink and drive, Arrive Alive!!
 
Source: http://www.arrivealive.co.za/pages.aspx?i=2912