Road safety classes combat deadly road toll

It's been a bad year so far on New Zealand roads, with 50 more deaths recorded than the same time last year.

Young people are one of the groups overrepresented, but one charity is looking to change that.

At 60km/h it can be hard to stop even if you slam the brakes. That's just one lesson being taught at Road Safety Education seminars being delivered to high school students across the country.

"We're not teaching driver skills; we're talking to senior high school students about getting them to do that deeper cognition thinking about managing their risk," says Road Safety Education programme manager Maria Lovelock.

Road Safety Education takes kids out of the classroom for a day and teaches them to be safe behind the wheel. That includes real-life scenarios, and presentations from police.

"They are one of our worst statistics we have on the road and young people are overrepresented in our deaths on the road, so it's a key area we need to be investing more into," Ms Lovelock says.

It's also a rare chance to meet crash survivors like Kelly Mumford. She's lucky to be alive after falling asleep at the wheel, aged 21.

"To see a real-life person struggling, that gets through to them so much more," she says.

According to students from Baradene College it does make an impact.

"We're thinking, 'Wow, there's a great deal that's at risk and it's not just us that will be affected - it's our family, it's our friends, communities, schools, sports,' so you just have to perceive it from a wider perspective," one student says.

Last year 82 people between 15 and 24 years old were killed on the road. It's hoped teaching students road safety around the time they get a licence will lower those numbers.

"I just want the young students to be aware and learn from my mistake," Ms Mumford says.

Newshub.