Using interactive methods to teach students the consequences of drink driving is how Tauranga Girls' College students hope to reduce 'unnecessary loss” of life, says the college's Students Against Driving Drunk committee member India Wallace.

Tauranga Girls' College students experience the ‘drunk' feeling. Pictured from rear: Aimee Burgess, Olivia Yates, Elizabeth Allan, India Wallace and Dennaye Wright. See video below about SADD in action at Girls' College.

Tauranga Girls' SADD committee is running a week-long event this week based on the journey of a teenage drink driver on a typical Saturday night.

Events include a party with ‘mocktails', experiencing the ‘booze bus' with Tauranga police and seeing firsthand a wrecked car after a serious crash.
One of the more realistic events is an obstacle course with students wearing ‘Fatal Vision Goggles' – impairing a student's vision as if they were intoxicated, but still under the legal limit.

India says the goal is to make students aware of the serious consequences drink driving can have through fun activities.

'We had a lot of people turn up to the ‘party' and we were handing out SADD flyers.
'I think the students will get the message this way. Even if it gets through to a few it will be worth it.”

She says despite the increase in driving age and the new zero tolerance law on blood alcohol levels, students and youth adults are still a 'prime target” for these campaigns.

'Many young people think they are invincible and think they can drive after a few or don't want to pay for the taxi ride home,” says India.
'There is still a large majority of drink drivers who are students.”

Tauranga City Council road safety coordinator Lynette Hines says teenagers are 'always going to be a target group because of negative peer pressure”.

'The Fatal Vision Goggles are a really good one to get the message across because it is funny to watch, then you say to them at the end of it ‘would you get in a vehicle with them now?'”