Waitaki District Council road safety co-ordinator Elton Crane has been working with restorative justice co-ordinator Derek Beveridge, University of Otago psychology masters student Nick Farrelly and the Video Factory to produce an updated version of the Oamaru drink-driving programme.
Before sentencing, drink-drivers appearing in the Oamaru District Court can choose to view a short DVD which recounts the stories of local parents, police and members of the community who have witnessed the devastating effects of drink-driving.
They then fill out a questionnaire and their answers and attitudes are taken into consideration during sentencing.
Five years after the programme was launched the material, which had been viewed by more than 400 drink-drivers, had become dated, Mr Beveridge said.
''We just really want to modernise it and improve it - get a bit of psychology behind it,'' Mr Crane said.
The aim of the programme was to make first-time offenders reflect on how they perceived their own behaviour, to take responsibility for driving while drunk, and to think about the potential consequences of their actions.
''It's about getting people engaged in that short window of opportunity we have,'' he said.
''I believe there's a great proportion of people who are caught drink-driving who can remove that behaviour from their life.''
Mr Crane is now working with the police to find members of the Oamaru community to share their experiences of drink-driving on camera.
- by Rebecca Ryan
