INDEPENDENT NEWS

Drink Driving message still not getting through

Published: Sun 21 Dec 2008 04:27 PM
New Zealand Police Alert 5:00am 21 Dec 2008 Counties Manukau
Location of incident: Counties Manukau
Incident type: Road Policing Operation
MEDIA RELEASE 21st December 2008
Drink Driving message still not getting through.
Counties Manukau Road Policing Manager Inspector Heather Wells said it is disappointing drivers are still not worrying about drinking and driving. 14 checkpoints were set up in Manukau and Papakura. 16,558 vehicles were stopped over two nights and 233 drivers will be going to court to answer charges of excess breath alcohol. 48 drivers elected to have a blood sample taken.
on our roads.
Bailiffs accompanied Police at a number of the checkpoint sites. They executed 42 Warrants with outstanding fines amounting to $91,486.96c. Some drivers paid their fines in full with cash totaling $4,410. 37 vehicles were seized from drivers.
35 arrests were made for a variety of offences such as stolen vehicles, Dangerous Driving, failing to stop and possession of drugs. 58 drivers had their licences suspended.
Police have concerns about drivers being processed then ringing for someone to come and pick them up when they too have also been drinking. This happened on a couple of occasions and the second driver also got processed. It is important to ensure the driver is sober. One youth was apprehended some 15 minutes after being processed when his sister gave him the keys back so he could drive again despite the fact he had been forbidden. A 16 year old driver was nearly 5 times over the legal limit of 150 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.
The results from this weekend still show there are a percentage of drivers on our roads who show a total disregard for the safety of other road users. Inspector Wells says that it is time people thought about the consequences of Drinking and driving. Too many innocent people are being killed or injured on our roads through drivers who break the laws.
Police are committed to continue with this hard line approach to remove these high risk offenders to ensure safety for other road users. Inspector Wells says this is a community problem which needs a major attitudinal change. Police will be on checkpoints throughout Christmas and the New Year Holiday period.
ENDS

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