James’ story: A call no parent wants to receive
Having been on the end of a phone call about a crash involving his daughter, ACC Injury Prevention Leader James Whitaker knows all about the dangers of our roads. So he's backing our ‘Ghost your mates’ distracted driving campaign.
I was working from home and in an online meeting when I saw my wife’s name flash up on my phone. I ignored it, thinking she’d ring again if it was important.
A second call within seconds was cause for concern.
I sprinted barefoot to the park – and was confronted with the site of my 20-year-old daughter’s car smashed up.
There was glass and tyre marks going all the way up to a tree.
I imagined the worst.
The crash broke her wrist and caused a painful injury to her neck that still sometimes flares up.
But things could have been much worse.
The other car was driven by another 20-year-old who failed to give way while driving through the intersection. They hit my daughter’s car on the front left wheel, causing the car to spin, go off the side of the road, into a tree and back onto the road, only a few blocks from our home in Wellington’s eastern suburbs.
‘Ghost your mates’ targeting young drivers
Our family is far from alone in having this experience.
Young drivers are more likely to have a crash and suffer crash-related injuries than other New Zealand drivers. If they’re using their phone while driving, they’re four times more likely to be in a crash.
That’s why ACC has joined forces with the New Zealand Police and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to develop a road safety campaign that focuses on reducing serious harm caused to young drivers on our roads.
The new ‘Ghost your mates’ campaign targets young drivers by getting them to ‘Have a hmmm’ and switch their phone to do not disturb, before they get behind the wheel.
Through the social media-led campaign, we’re using the theme of ‘ghosting’ (the behaviour of ignoring people’s calls, texts and social media messages) as a way of protecting friends and whānau from being distracted on our roads.
We’re asking young drivers to ‘ghost their mates, loved ones and their phone’, by getting them to switch their devices to do not disturb before they hit the road.
Young drivers not only face an elevated crash risk but 58 per cent also admit to holding their phone while driving.
The elevated risk of accidents for young drivers who use their phones underscores the urgent need for targeted initiatives to address this critical issue.
‘His whānau still grieves’
I never met my own birth father because he was killed when I was just a few days old – a car crossed the centre line and drove into him while he was changing his tyre.
His whānau still grieves for him over four decades later.
As a dad to three girls, this is extra motivation for me to contribute in any way I can to reduce the number of serious crashes and injuries caused on our roads to young drivers.
My wife and I have taught our three daughters and two of their boyfriends how to drive.
I don’t want my daughters to lose friends or loved ones on the road, or to cause trauma for anyone else.
To help, I can be there to teach and encourage my children to be safe on our roads, giving our teenagers the skills to drive safely and distraction free.
The learning doesn’t stop for young drivers
It takes courage to get in a car with a teenager – their learning doesn’t stop when they pass their restricted licence test.
Our research shows young drivers are more likely to crash in the first six months of having a restricted licence than at any other stage in their life.
We’ve always made sure our daughters drive the family from place to place so we can observe and offer help. It also gives you a chance to praise them when they do the right things – we should never lose track of how important this is.
Crashes on our roads are preventable. Please ‘Have a hmmm’ before you get behind the wheel.
Think about the risks and make the right choices to keep you and everyone else safe on our roads.
‘Ghost your mates’ and put that phone on do not disturb before driving.
‘Ghost your mates’ campaign
- This initiative has been developed by ACC, in collaboration with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the New Zealand Police, to encourage young drivers to ‘Have a hmmm’ before they hit the road and put their phones on do not disturb.
- Targeted at young drivers from 16-24 years old, it will be integrated with enforcement by Police from mid-April and initially run until the end of June.
- It’s being supported by local activations involving three Police districts – Central, Eastern and Wellington – and local councils, with a focus on distractions.
- The campaign is receiving communications support from Auckland Transport, the Safe and Sustainable Transport Association and regional road safety partners.
