Toyota New Zealand is continuing its support of Road Safety Education Limited’s RYDA  programme that helps road deaths by providing world-class safety education to young Kiwis.

RYDA provides a ‘whole of school’ approach through an engaging and memorable one-day workshop led by trained facilitators, including police, driving instructors, and community specialists, supported by online learning and classroom resources to high school students throughout the nation. 

Toyota NZ Assistant Vice President, Susanne Hardy says the company aims to help drive safer communities by ensuring young people have the knowledge and skills to make safer choices on the road.

The three-year partnership will see Toyota NZ provide $225,000 in funding to support RYDA’s school education programmes, as well as provide four Toyota Corolla Cross hybrids for use by the RYDA team throughout New Zealand. 

“Young drivers aged between 16 and 24 are at far greater risk of being involved in fatal or serious injury crashes,” said Hardy.

“Devastatingly, over the past 10 years, around 7,000 young people aged 16-24 were killed or seriously injured on our roads. The social cost of road crashes is huge, amounting to $11.6 billion annually for New Zealand, but this pales in comparison to the immense human cost—lost loved ones, friends, parents, and children.” 

The RYDA programme makes a tangible impact for New Zealand communities by contributing to a reduction in deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand’s roads.