Mum urges kids to stop Dunedin wheelie bin rides

The mother of a University of Otago student killed riding a wheelie bin down Baldwin St, Dunedin, in 2001, is devastated to hear young people are still doing it 18 years later.

Sharon North, of Blenheim, made an emotional plea to young people in Dunedin yesterday, after several were seen riding wheelie bins down Union St on Saturday.

"Don't do it. Just don't do it. That's all I can say. I'm very saddened to hear that they're doing it again."

She had hoped the death of her daughter had been an educational reminder of what not to do.

"That's been my biggest concern — that as time goes by, people will forget what happened."

Ana Louise North, 19, a physical education student, died instantly in March 2001 when she and a friend hit a parked trailer while sledding down the street in a wheelie bin. Her male friend ended up in Dunedin Hospital with serious head injuries.

Police went to Union St about 2pm on Saturday after reports of youths riding down the hill on wheelie bins, and a "near-miss" with a car.

A spokeswoman said no one was hurt, but given the 2001 death police were critical of the behaviour.