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Police caught 18 drunk drivers at a Hawke’s Bay checkpoint in just three hours.
Between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Friday, officers stopped 1,461 cars at the Pakowhai Rd and Te Ara Kahikatea roundabout and tested the drivers’ breath.
The results, which police described as “disappointing,” showed that 18 people exceeded the legal limit of 250 micrograms of alcohol per liter of breath.
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Sheriff John Zhu, left, and Inspector Kelly Ryan, drivers of breath tests during a police driving operation north of Wellington in 2017.
Of them, 12 were fined and six of which had a reading of more than 400 mg / l, will be summoned to trial.
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Police also caught a disqualified driver at the checkpoint.
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Police are pleading with drivers not to get drunk behind the wheel this Christmas season. (File photo)
Inspector Matt Broderick, manager of road enforcement for the Eastern District, said police will continue to crack down on drunk driving throughout December, using checkpoints and random road tests.
“Unfortunately, there are still many drivers who do not think it is a problem to drive after drinking. They know that drinking increases their chances of crashing and they know the consequences of being stopped by the police, but they are still willing to take the risk.
“We don’t want anyone’s vacation to be ruined by the death of a loved one on the roads and we want everyone to reach their destination safely.”
On average, 400 people per year are killed or seriously injured on New Zealand’s roads in accidents involving disabled drivers.
The Friday before Christmas is statistically one of the worst days of the year to drive under the influence of alcohol.
During the Christmas season, the police will remind people to “drive safely, arrive alive.”
They will focus on the four main factors in fatal and injury crashes: not wearing a seatbelt, driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, distracted driving (such as using a cell phone), and speeding.
Last year, police caught more than 168 drunk drivers in South Auckland in the two weekends before Christmas, many of whom they say were several times over the legal limit.
