Help your teen plan a safe trip to a summer festival

Many Kiwi teens will be hitting the road this summer to attend one of dozens of music festivals around the country.

For some it will be their first time driving long distances on unfamiliar roads in holiday traffic, and for their parents there will be nail-biting moments waiting for their teen to arrive safely at their destination and back home again.

The good news is that help is available for parents who want to do more. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is providing practical advice and free tools via a dedicated website - www.safeteendriver.co.nz - to help parents work with their teenagers to plan their trips safely.

The website encourages parents to help their teen identify and manage the highest risks situations they might face when driving by themselves.

Teenagers from across the country may be travelling long distances to festivals like the Highlife in Matakana, Luminate in Golden Bay, or the Rippon Festival in Wanaka. Driving to a festival can be challenging. Teenagers may encounter narrow, winding roads, road works, holiday-makers towing boats, and heavy traffic. These will all require them to reduce their speed and be patient. If their teen hasn’t had much experience in these situations before then it’s worthwhile getting in the car with them to give them some practice – even if they’re already allowed to drive by themselves

Where possible, parents should get their teenagers to thoroughly plan their route so they can concentrate on driving and not be distracted by navigating. It’s also a good idea to show teens how to do a safety check of their vehicle before setting off. Parents should talk to their teenagers about how to pay attention to the road, weather and traffic conditions and adjust their speed if necessary. Driving too fast for the conditions is one of the most common factors in teen driver crashes.

Teens will be keen to pack as much music into a day as they can, and getting a decent sleep isn't likely to be on their list of priorities. But even moderate sleep deprivation can be dangerous when driving. If teens have been drinking, they’ll need to make sure they get plenty of rest and that the alcohol has left their system. They could still be over the limit the next day.

“Watching your teenager drive away on a long journey can be an extremely worrying time for parents,” says Geoff Dangerfield, Chief Executive, NZTA. “But there are some practical steps you can take to give them the best chance of getting there safely.

“The Safe Teen Driver website not only gives you tips on the things you need to discuss with your teen, it also suggests some different ways to talk about them so they don’t just think you’re over-reacting.

“The NZTA strongly recommends working with your teenager to plan their travel routes these summer holidays, to be involved and to talk to your child about the driving hazards they may encounter along the way.”

See Driving routes to summer festivals for more detailed driving instructions to the festivals and a map of key music festivals around the country.