Lower speed tolerance works

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said there were only seven crashes in the Western Bay of Plenty over the Queens Birthday weekend, compared to 13 in 2009 and 15 in 2008, and he attributes the reduction to the lowering of the speed tolerance and the high level of publicity it attracted.

Of the seven crashes, two occurred on the State Highway network and only two persons sustained minor injuries.

Sergeant Ian Campion said he was extremely pleased with the results, especially given the adverse weather the Western Bay of Plenty was subjected to which he said goes to show that road trauma and deaths can be reduced significantly when the vast majority of drivers make an effort to slow down, concentrate and drive sensibly.

Not all drivers headed the warnings though, resulting in a total of 140 Infringement Offence Notices issued for speed with 37 of those in the lower speed band of 5-10 km/h above the speed limit. The highest speed check was 147kmh on State Highway 29, which resulted in the driver earning an immediate 28 day driver licence suspension.

At about 8.30am on Sunday 6 June, a member of the public reported a vehicle being driven erratically on State Highway 29 on the Kaimai Ranges towards the Waikato. Police located the vehicle and when first stopped, the driver drove off again at low speed but stopped about one kilometre further on where he surrendered to police. The driver, a 22 year old Morrinsville man was processed for drink driving which resulted in a breath alcohol level exceeding 460 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. Enquiries revealed the vehicle had been stolen from Morrinsville a few days before and in explanation, the driver stated he had been travelling around the Waikato and Bay of Plenty for the past two days whilst he was intoxicated.

The driver was arrested and charged with Drunk Driving, Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle, Failing to Remain Stopped for Police Officer and Driving Whilst Forbidden and was subsequently denied bail and held in custody to appear in the Morrinsville District Court on 23 June 2010.

Senior Sergeant Campion said that the reporting of this incident to police is very likely to have prevented a crash and the informant is to be commended. Ian encourages the use of the *555 reporting system to advise police of poor driving and says that whilst we may not always be in a position to intervene there are a significant number of calls which result in drivers being taken off the road or prosecuted.

At about 8pm on Monday evening, 7 June a police patrol checked the speed of a vehicle on Wilson Road South, Paengaroa at 90km/h in a 70km/h area. The driver had also travelled on State Highway 33 Paengaroa prior to being stopped and stated she was going to get some cigarettes. The 47 year old Maketu woman was processed for drink drive resulting in a breath alcohol level over twice the legal limit. The mixture of speed and alcohol is a lethal cocktail which more often than not results in a serious crash say Ian.

Whilst alcohol does not appear to have been a causing factor in this weekend's crashes, Road Policing Staff processed a total of nine drivers for drunk driving, with one of those results almost reaching 1200 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. A number of these drivers had very high alcohol levels which bring with it the potential for serious crash.

Ian said he was appalled by the high number of intoxicated drivers and despite widespread media coverage and consistent targeting of drunk and drugged drivers, the message was still not sinking in with some motorists.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said speeding is a high risk activity and police will continue to target speed in an effort to reduce unnecessary road trauma and deaths. It's a fact - The quicker you go the bigger the mess.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion urges drivers to take extra care on Western Bay of Plenty roads now that winter is here and to ensure they slow down during poor weather conditions.

Ian reminds all road users that the Bay of Plenty is one of the least safest places to drive in the country, but this weekend has proved that if we all work together to keep speed down our roads will be a safer place for everyone.