Last April, Nic, then aged 14, was walking to meet his mother after going to the gym at Moana Pool when he was knocked over by a vehicle at the intersection of London and Stuart Sts.
He had looked both ways and, not hearing a vehicle approaching, stepped out into the street, where he was hit by the car.
He was thrown over the vehicle, breaking his right shoulder and cracking his left collarbone.
He was in slings for several weeks and was unable to play sport for several months.
Nearly a year later, he still gets a fright passing that intersection.
While his accident occurred during the school holidays, it was in a spot near several schools and the swimming pool, where there were always lots of children around, he said.
Yesterday, the year 11 Kaikorai Valley College pupil issued a plea to drivers to look out for children "because kids are not always aware of cars".
But it was also up to children to always look for cars "even when you don't hear any coming", he said.
His appeal is reinforced by Southern district police, who recently announced a back-to-school speeding campaign.
Police will be out in force around schools over the next weeks, using speed cameras and lasers within 250m of school boundaries.
The district-wide campaign would also target school bus routes, enforcing the 20kmh speed restriction for vehicles passing stationary school buses, district highway patrol Senior Sergeant Steve Larking said.
"It's a new term and a new start for some students so we need to be extra careful with our driving habits around schools.
Parents need to be mindful of not double-parking or parking on yellow lines when dropping children off and give themselves plenty of time to get children to school safely."
Drivers travelling at 6kmh or more over the posted speed limit would be ticketed.
Since 2005, 133 children aged between 4 and 18 had received serious (24) or minor (109) injuries within 250m of school zones during school terms on roads in the Southern police district, which covers the area south of the Waitaki River.
