Mount Aspiring College’s (MAC) Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) group organised a realistic mock crash this week to raise students’ awareness about the implications of dangerous driving.

Volunteer members from the local fire brigade, St John ambulance and the police took part in the crash scenario on Tuesday (July 28).

“This is a very real situation that we could come across every day here in Central Otago,” constable Ian Henderson said.

The scenario played out on the school grounds for all students to watch. The fire brigade peeled open the roof of a crashed Toyota Corolla to rescue the ‘severely injured’ passengers - acted by students.

The fire brigade gained access to the injured passengers through the roof of the vehicle.

“The initiative by the students is brilliant,” Ian said. “This is pretty realistic, especially with the student actors.”

SADD organises a mock crash each year, but this year the students went a step further and involved emergency services.

SADD member Maddi Frazer said she wanted to recreate the crash scenario because she still remembers a mock crash she witnessed in her first year of high school.

A St John volunteer wheels away a crash victim.

“I do still think about it when I’m driving. That’s the reason why we’ve gone to [the] next step to impact students and make them really remember.”

SADD is a national charity committed to reducing risk on New Zealand roads. The group empowers young people to make safer and better choices on the road. 

Members of the MAC SADD group plan to attend a breath testing station with the police later this year to raise awareness of drink driving.

PHOTOS: The Wanaka App