Police urge motorists to plan ahead

Tauranga Police are urging motorists to plan ahead with regards to their travel plans during the holiday period.

Traffic volumes have significantly increased throughout the Western Bay of Plenty as people head to holiday destinations and other organised functions. Sergeant Mike Owen of the WBOP Highway Patrol is advising motorists to allow themselves plenty of time to reach their destination by starting their journey a bit sooner than they normally would. "This should prevent motorists becoming frustrated or impatient and reduce the temptation to speed or take unnecessary risks" he says, making a safer journey for all involved.

In the past few days 12 people have been caught on Western Bay Roads driving at 20km/h or more over the speed limit, including a 21 year old Soldier who was caught at 174km/h because he was "running late for lunch".
We've all seen the ads, it's that simple, speeding cause's crashes, we need to slow down, the actions of this driver placed himself and other Holiday road users at extreme risk said Sergeant Owen.

Mr Owen also reminds motorists that during the entire Holiday period anyone caught doing 5km/h or more over the speed limit can and should expect to be stopped and spoken to by Police. "



He encourages anyone who witnesses poor driving behaviour to assist the Police by phone *555 and reporting it.