Drink Drive Operation : 13 - 14 September

People driving around Auckland City in the early hours of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September were greeted by multiple Police Checkpoints set up to detect drunk drivers.

This was with the assistance of the Police specialised Traffic Alcohol Group and Motorways Staff.

7461 drivers were breath tested over the two mornings at checkpoints strategically placed around the City.

Of these drivers a total of 147 were detected driving with excess breath alcohol with 37 of these drivers being under the age of 20.

Auckland City Road Policing Manager Inspector Gavin Macdonald said he was not only very concerned by the numbers of young people being caught but also the high readings that they were returning.

A 19 year old woman gave a reading of 1050 micrograms of Alcohol per litre of breath; it was her second EBA offence .This was over 2 1/2 times the legal limit of 400 Micrograms/per litre.

16 vehicles were impounded and 51 people had their license suspended after returning a reading of more than 650 micrograms of Alcohol per liter of breath.

One person was arrested for stealing a motor vehicle and 11 others arrested for a variety of offences.
Inspector Macdonald said a lot of offenders were shocked at the number of checkpoints being run simultaneously by the Police at that time of the morning.

Inspector Macdonald's message to people coming into the city was to go out and enjoy themselves, but to make sure they made alternative arrangements to driving to get home safely
If they intended drinking alcohol.

He said that the Police, Auckland City Council, ACC and other partner agencies were all working together to make Auckland a safer place, and that people could expect to be stopped Anytime Anywhere and prosecuted if they continued to drink and drive.