Art project lights up Taupō as part of Road Safety Week 2021
The Taupō lakefront will light up next week to raise awareness of the importance of road safety in our district.
Run as part of Road Safety Week which kicks off on Monday 17 May, the community will be able to view a visual display projected onto the lake in remembrance of the six lives that were lost on the district’s roads last year.
‘The Ripple Effect’ creator and year 13 Tauhara College student Tommi Joyce designed it to be an entertaining display to watch and enjoy, while also sharing some key road safety messages with the public.
“At school I take digital technology and manage the student radio station, so when I heard the council were looking for people to do a digital display, it had my name written all over it.”
“As a volunteer firefighter with the Turangi Fire Brigade, road safety means a lot to me as it is the most common callout for us due to the Desert Road. Slow down and drive to the conditions!”
The community will also see the #LOVETAUPO light up yellow, aligning with other buildings, bridges and iconic locations around the country also turning yellow as part of Road Safety Week.
Taupō District Council road safety coordinator Sarah Wraight said the theme this year – speed – reminds us that speeding or driving too fast for the conditions is a major problem in Aotearoa.
“We lost six lives in the Taupō District in six crashes last year, speed was a factor in half of those fatalities,” said Ms Wraight.”
“Vehicle speed plays an important part in driving safely, the faster you're travelling, the longer it takes to stop and the bigger the forces involved in a crash. Please remember to drive at the correct speed for the conditions to minimise risks.”
The Ripple Effect will be on display on the lake from Monday May 17 to 23, 6pm to 9pm. The best viewing spot is from the platform opposite Rifle Range Road.
Road Safety Week runs May 17 to 23 and is promoted by road safety charity Brake and supported by Taupō District Council.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️