Two young students from Christchurch are on a mission to make roads safer for cyclists following the tragic death of one of the campaigners' sister.
Christchurch South Intermediate Year 8 students, aka road safety campaigners, Eva Haerewa and Jazz Thorman, have put a twist on the traditional hi-vis vest in the hope their design will encourage youngsters to where it and help keep them safe.
The issue is close to Eva's heart, which is why she is so passionate about cycle safety, following the death of her older sister five years ago. Sharla was killed when she was hit by a truck cycling to work.
Eva urged cyclists to make sure they bike in the right places and not to turn corners without indicating.
"We hope they [cyclists] keep safe and they don't have to go through what I've been through, and just keep safe on the roads," she said.
Friend Jazz was keen to jump on board the project. "It's very important because kids have a long life to live and if they just get hit off now its just terrible," she said.
They put their own spin on the traditional hi-vis vests.
"We just wanted to make it quite cool for our age group and make sure in a few years it wouldn't go out of date, and make it good for most genders," Jazz said.
School principal Ross Hastings said he was keen to support the girls' venture.
"Young people these days are really passionate about their world and they do want to make a difference," he said. "This has been such an amazing journey for both of these girls."
School youth leader Holly McCormack said she was inspired how the girls had used a terrible situation to make something positive.
The first 75 vests have been made thanks to funding from Youth Voice Canterbury, and now the girls are looking into what could be the next step in their business venture.
SHARE ME