Selwyn_Times: June 28, 2023

Selwyn Times Wednesday June 28 2023
26
SPONSORED CONTENT
Navigating sunstrike
during peak in winter
SUNSTRIKE IS a blinding glare that can
be incredibly dangerous for motorists
during winter months in Aotearoa. It is
important to plan ahead, stay alert, slow
down, and drop back.
It can happen at any time of the day
but is most likely during the morning or
the afternoon, when the sun’s rays can hit
your windscreen at a low angle, making it
difficult – or even impossible – to see.
One way to help combat this and
improve visibility is keeping the inside
and outside of your windscreen clean,
as excess dust or grime can increase the
effects of sunstrike.
Try keeping a clean waffle-weave
microfibre cloth handy to wipe the inside
of your windscreen. The waffle-weave
texture helps prevent streakiness. You
can also use your sun visor to help reduce
glare.
Before heading out, check you have
filled up your water and window washer
fluid levels.
If possible, keep a spare pair of
polarised sunglasses in your car to wear
to minimise the amount of sun in your
eyes.
When you can’t see at intersections due
to sunstrike, look outside your windows
and proceed extremely slowly until the
sunstrike clears. Don’t presume the way
is clear. As always, if you are struggling
to see or don’t feel comfortable driving
in the conditions, pull over safely and
wait a few minutes to see if the conditions
improve or the sun moves into a different
position.
It is also important to pay attention
to who else is on the road, including
cyclists and pedestrians, who may also
experience sunstrike and not see vehicles
approaching.
Increasing your following distance
to give yourself more time to react if
anything goes wrong, and reducing
speed, can help ensure everyone using the
road gets home safely.
• For more information about
driving safe in winter, visit www.
selwyn.govt.nz/winterdriving
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Rugby puts
positive
message
upfront
CANTERBURY RUGBY’S Keep it
Positive message will be front and centre
in junior rugby this season. Over 400
yellow bibs with a simple ‘Keep it Positive’
message will be distributed to community
rugby clubs throughout the region.
The idea, backed by Canterbury Rugby’s
principal partner Ray White, is that those
who help facilitate our junior game will
stand together to stamp out poor sideline
behaviour, wearing a common bib rather
than their club colours, whilst delivering
a positive reminder we’re all there for kids
to have fun.
“Our volunteers are excellent role
models for sideline behaviour,” said
Canterbury Community Rugby manager
Fiona Smith.
“Helping them differentiate themselves
from the sideline and teams playing
should serve as a positive reminder that
we are all there to support the tamariki
playing our beloved game.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Ray White’s
Claire Morris. Said Morris: “We joined
forces with Canterbury Rugby to get
behind the Keep it Positive campaign as
we recognised that this is an area of our
game that needs our support.
“By helping provide these bibs to the
community, we want it to serve as a
constant reminder of what behaviour we
want to encourage when on our sidelines.”
The bibs will be distributed this week in
Keep it Positive packs.
Some bibs have also been distributed to
Ohoka and High School Old Boys’, where
coaches have heralded their importance.
Said Ohoka under 11 Mud Ducks coach
Russell McLeod: “It’s really easy for both
the kids playing and the spectators to
distinguish who the referee is.”
Said High School Old Boys’ Under 6
Carter coach Regan Turner (above): “They
are good in the fact the person in the
middle with the whistle controls the positive
way in which the game is played and
spectated upon.”
Turner said it shows the parents on
the sideline the referee is just another
volunteer giving up their time to allow
their kids to play, while the kids learn to
respect the referee early on when they can
identify who it is.
Sunstrike?
Slow down
Charitable Trust
DRIVER EDUCATION
TO FIND OUT WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY GO TO
www.proactivedrive.org.nz