Rotary speaker September the 8th 2026
Liona Stanicich
Rotary Youth Drivers Awareness Programme
Liona came from Christchurch to thank us for supporting the programme and to tell us about it. Forty people are killed or injured each day on our roads. This programme introduced in 2007 is to help teens improve their driving skills. The 1-day course helps Year 12 and up to look at behaviour change with 6 interactive sessions, to date 69,631 teens, 219 schools and 221 workshops have taken place.
It costs $75 per person but sponsorship especially from Rotary and Toyota has lowered the cost. It is the only road safety programme in NZ. Liona nominated Rhys Jenkins for all his help with this programme for the Supporting Excellence Award for NZ and Rhys won it. The trophy was presented by Mark from Toyota.
Barry Hambleton
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program (RYDA) [from the internet]
Liona Stanicich is the South Island Programme Coordinator for the
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) road safety education program, where she organizes and leads workshops teaching high school students how to make low-risk decisions on the road.
Role and Program Details:
South Island Coordinator: Liona manages and runs dozens of RYDA workshops across regions like Otago, Canterbury, and Southland during the school terms.
Core Message: The program focuses on empowering teenagers to develop low-risk driving strategies, manage driver distractions, and recognize hazards.
Community Engagement: Liona regularly speaks at local groups, such as the
Rotary Club of Alexandra (on Tuesday the 8
th of September 2026), to discuss youth road safety initiatives and the impact of driver awareness training.
RYDA is designed specifically for 16–18-year-olds as many begin learning to drive.
The programme focuses not just on vehicle control, but on decision-making, risk awareness and the cognitive distractions that contribute to crashes. Across the event, students rotate through six interactive 30‑minute sessions, covering topics such as peer pressure, cognitive awareness, speed and stopping distances, and live driving demonstrations.
Liona highlighted why this approach is so effective:
Teens learn by repetition, so exposing them to a programme like this creates awareness around cognitive distractions, Liona said. “That message then gets reinforced again later when they’re learning to drive and sitting their licences.”
The programme is intentionally hands-on. Students work through booklets, quizzes and group activities, with prizes adding an extra layer of engagement. The interactive format encourages discussion, reflection and participation, ensuring the messages stay with students long after the sessions have finished.
‘My Life, My Choices’, is woven through every session, reinforcing the idea that everyday decisions can have lifelong consequences. Strong community involvement as well is the key to the success of the programme.
A driver instructor programme is also held for parents, offering practical guidance and confidence to those teaching their teenagers to drive and reinforcing safer habits at home.
