A student organisation working to stop drink driving and Mount Maunganui car sales firm Turners will team up this coming Monday for an evening of safe driving for teens and parents.

Turners Auctions and Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) together will host the free Tauranga Young Driver – First Car event on Monday, March 10 at Turner's Mount Maunganui branch from 5pm to 8.30pm.

Turners is hosting an event for first time drivers and parents on Monday.

The event targets learner and novice drivers in their teens along with parents for an evening of practical information and tools on the topics of buying a first car, gaining a licence, navigating processes such as insurance and finance, and managing the risks for young drivers.

'Drivers are never more at risk than during their teenage years, and in fact if you are aged 15-19 years in New Zealand you are more likely to die in a car crash than by any other cause,” says SADD Operations Manager Julie Elliotte.

'That is a scary fact for a teenager or parent to consider, but the good news is that the vast majority of these crashes and fatalities are entirely preventable.”

'Coupled with managing the safety issues and high risks for young drivers, parents and teens are also navigating a wide range of issues from the driver licensing process and planning adequate driving practise and instruction, to the selection of suitable vehicles and the ongoing responsibilities for maintaining them, and that is why we are partnering with Turners to provide this event”

Turners Auctions national marketing manager Annabel Huskinson says this event is special because it enables us to play a role in directly supporting our community in Tauranga, and in working together to support safer young drivers,

'We have been partners of the SADD programme for the past five years and we support the great work they do in schools and communities across New Zealand.”

A number of road safety and commercial partners in Tauranga are supporting the event with expo stalls covering the key issues facing parents and teens in getting young drivers mobile safely.

The open event will have live demonstrations and will provide free information, resources, and tools for teens and their parents to take away.

Commercial partners have committed to providing a range of discounts and special offers to those who attend, and all students attending can enter in two prize draws.

Tauranga City Council Travel Safe Coordinator, Alana Rapson, is pleased to see Tauranga selected as one of the locations for the event.

'Providing opportunities for young people and their parents is a really important part of educating about driver safety at such a vulnerable time in a driver's life. Being able to do this collectively with community partners adds relevance and meaning to the event.”