MEDIA RELEASE December 18

Auckland City Drink Drive Operation
(Operation Responsible Driver)

People driving around Auckland City over the weekend of Friday 16-Sunday 18 December were greeted by multiple Police Checkpoints set up to detect drunk drivers.

Auckland City Police were assisted by the Police Traffic Alcohol Group and Bailiffs from the Ministry of Justice.

Over 14500 drivers were breath tested over the late evening- early morning checkpoints strategically placed around the City.

Of these drivers a total of 60 were detected driving with excess breath alcohol with 10 of these drivers being under the age of 20.

Auckland City Road Policing Manager Inspector Gavin Macdonald said whilst 60 offenders was still too many, it was pleasing to see a vast improvement from 2009 when 175 drivers were prosecuted during a similar campaign.

Inspector Macdonald said it was timely reminder to drivers under the age of 20, that the alcohol limit for them was now ZERO.

A 28 year old woman gave a reading of 960 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath; it was her first drink driving offence. This was nearly 2 1/2 times over the legal limit of 400 Micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

10 vehicles were impounded and 28 people had their license suspended after returning a reading of more than 650 micrograms of Alcohol per litre of breath.

More than $7000.00 worth of fines were collected and 14 vehicles seized by the Bailiffs.

Inspector Macdonald said a lot of drivers who initially returned a positive result for alcohol had then gone on to pass the next stage of the drink - drive process. This was because they had been drinking responsibly and had limited themselves to only one or two drinks during their evening out.

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, so as they and their friends get home safely

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

Inspector Macdonald thanked all the law abiding drivers who had been through the Police checkpoints not only for their patience, but also for their own commitment to keeping themselves and other road users safe by driving sober.

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