“I became involved with Sandra and SADD during the running of a course at the Papakura police station back in 2024.  I instantly wanted to become more involved as to me SADD provided a course directly aimed at road safety, reducing road deaths and youth education.

As a Serious Crash Analyst, I have dealt with over 70 fatal crashes and a further 140+ serious injury crashes on the roads of Counties Manukau in the last seven years.  I have seen one too many people not make it home due to poor decision making and saw this course as my opportunity to further educate the high risk behaviours of youth, that have recently come to police attention.

With Sandra and SADD, I am given the ability to further educate these youth, on top of the high school visits and district talks I already undertake with the Serious Crash Unit.”

(September 2025)

“I absolutely love this programme and I hope to see its continued success in all communities across New Zealand.  As a youth aid officer, I interact with young people every day, from all backgrounds and walks of life. This course has been delivered on the North Shore on a few occasions, and I have personally witnessed little to no re-offending from the young people I’ve referred. The feedback I’ve received from these individuals has been overwhelmingly positive- they’ve shared that the content delivered by both the police and SADD has been impactful and valuable.

I believe this course is essential not only for reducing re-offending but for encouraging young people to open up about their experiences. Young people feel safe in these classroom environments, even with a police presence. The U-turn programme empowers young people to drive with confidence and make safer choices on our roads, they leave the course with a greater understanding on the impacts their actions can have on themselves and others. The course promotes a positive experience that resonates with them, and they share their enthusiasm with others, recommending the course to family and friends.”

“The U-Turn programme has been a fantastic resource for the police in Counties Manukau East district. We have no other programme like it for this target audience and it has definitely filled a much needed gap in the youth space. 

I believe we have successfully created a safe space for young people to learn from their mistakes and gain knowledge around safer driving choices to keep themselves and other road users safe on our roads. Our rates of re-offending are very low and the majority of our participants have not had any further involvement with police which is amazing.

I am personally very grateful to Sandra and Donna from SADD who with no hesitation jumped on board with this idea and ran with it. SADD plays an invaluable role in the running and longevity of the programme and it would not be the success it is today without their support and hard work.” 

“Hamilton youth services with the support of road policing have been working with SADD and the U-Turn programme for over a year now.

It has been a valuable resource in educating our youth who have started to come to Police attention for traffic offending including but not limited to Speeding, Drink driving and failing to stop for Police.

It has been a great programme to use in our alternative action plans and Te Pae Oranga rangatahi referrals.

It is evident from the engagement of the youth attending the programme and their feedback that the sessions are engaging and informative opening their eyes to factors that play a part in the safety of everyone on New Zealand roads.

We look forward to continuing this partnership with SADD and educating our youth to help decrease road trauma in New Zealand.”

(October 2025)

"In Counties Manukau we have very limited options for helping address driving behaviours of our young people.

While there are some courses available that target this, our communities are usually locked out due to financial costs or lack of ability to get there. 

We needed something that was local, affordable and still had a meaningful impact on our young people. U-Turn has been invaluable in this space, helping our young people learn the impact of their behaviours, while also supporting them to further enhance their capability as drivers.”

It has been very difficult in finding a driving road safety education course for this young person, as the judge ordered for them to go to a course that will educate them about their reckless driving.

Most places prefer for the young person to hold a valid driver’s license before they are eligible to join.

The youth justice social worker deeply acknowledges SADD U-turn staff Donna and Sandra for their amazing support and accepting this young person into the course. Acknowledgements to the youth aid officer and Sergeant concerned, for collaborating with SADD. It is greatly appreciated with respect that the SADD U Turn course is available for situations like this within the youth justice system.

The youth justice social worker is proud of this young person for participating and gaining fundamental learnings from the U Turn course which can support them with their project on ‘the consequences of reckless driving and the importance of risks and safety on the road’ before the court.

“It is making it clearer to him the dangers of drink and dangerous driving. It has made his friends consider their driving choices more, which is a great side effect of what he is going through. We have been discussing with his friends parents also, so a great result all around. Hopefully a night with some bad choices is having a great outcome”.

“He went to the city with his mate last night. They got the train in, stayed at a backpackers then caught public transport in the morning. All the courses have been tough but they are making an impact. Yeah, proud of his commitment and learning”.