Stopping at speed a lesson in time

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Pupils from Kings High School, in Dunedin, (from left) Matt Plaisted, Nick Fieldwick, Ben Dolan, Nick Somerville, Hayden Pringle, Adam Ryland and Aidan Hall watch as V8 circuit driver John Whelan applies the brakes during yesterday's driving safety demonstration. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

Mr Whelan (22) and the Otago Club Motor Trust yesterday hosted an interactive demonstration of stopping distances. Two groups, from Kings and Bayfield High Schools, attended the demonstration outside Dunedin's Ice Stadium, and pupils took turns to ride in the vehicles with Mr Whelan.

Pupils on the sideline placed wooden blocks on the ground where they thought the vehicles - one with ABS braking and one without - would stop when Mr Whelan applied the brakes at 40kmh and then 60kmh.

The demonstration was carried out in both wet and dry conditions.

Whelan told the Otago Daily Times that as a school pupil he had attended "boring" safety talks.

Full of facts and statistics and given in the classroom, they did not have the impact of the real thing.

"If you say it takes 10m to stop, [pupils] can't visualise how long 10m is."

Pupils had been surprised by the stopping distances, and only by taking the exercise out of the classroom could this be shown, Mr Whelan said.

Kings deputy principal Daryl Shields said while the speeding message was well known, most people had little idea how long it took to stop.

The difference between stopping at 40kmh and 60kmh was dramatic and had surprised the pupils.

Boys liked "visual stuff" and the exercise helped get the "realisation in their head that if you speed, you take longer to stop".

Kings year 12 pupil Adam Ryland found the exercise a valuable reminder not to speed.

Adam (15), who owns a car, said while he did not speed, the exercise reinforced for him the dangers of going too fast and not being able to stop before hitting something.

Bayfield deputy principal Mike Beagley said a predominantly female group found the demonstration an "eye-opener" and were genuinely surprised by the stopping distances.

It was an effective way to get the safety message across, he said.

- Eileen Goodwin