What is Crash Bash?
Crash Bash is an educational campaign organised by the Christchurch City Council and co-funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
It uses a stage play as a creative medium to increase young people’s awareness and understanding of issues relating to alcohol and driving.
Each year secondary school students are invited to explore a theme relating to drink driving that targets young people. Aspiring playwright students are then given the opportunity to write a script within this theme to enter into the Crash Bash Scriptwriting Competition.
The winning script receives constructive feedback from a local professional playwright, who works alongside the winning student to prepare the Crash Bash Road Show production. The road show runs through March and is acted by young professional actors.
How does this align with other road safety initiatives?
Crash Bash complements other educational programmes run in schools by the New Zealand Police and SADD (Students Against Drink Driving).
Crash Bash also has a strategic fit within the New Zealand education curriculum in key competency areas that relate to students learning from their peers. The scriptwriting competition provides young people with an opportunity to interact with others and contribute to society.
Young people aged 15 to 19 years are disproportionately represented in New Zealand road crash statistics, with alcohol and speed major contributing factors in fatal crashes. In 2009, 46 drivers and 45 passengers aged 15 to 24 years were killed on New Zealand roads.
