Marcus Young
Rongotai College
National Leader 2026-2027
Hey, I’m Marcus, a student at Rongotai College in Wellington. I believe that an important part of keeping our roads safe is being aware of the dangers of listening to loud music or using noise-cancelling headphones while walking near traffic.
Like many students, I put my headphones on as soon as school finishes. While I love music, it can block out important sounds, like approaching cars, cyclists, or warning horns. When we aren’t aware of our surroundings we are much more vulnerable. Some of my friends have come close to being hit by cars because they were blasting music and weren’t aware of the traffic around them. It's a risk that many people don't think about and needs more awareness of this issue. My goal is to make people more alert around roads, even if they're listening to music. Overall this is going to make our roads safer.