"Some drivers still not getting the message"

Police and NZTA held a joint impairment prevention operation last night in Wellington to encourage road safety over summer.

There were two locations which saw a total of 3436 vehicles stopped over four hours.

Superintendent Steve Greally, National Road Policing Manager, says when people are driving their cars they need to take on board the responsibility that goes with it.

“That means giving their driving their full attention, driving to the conditions, and not driving drunk, drugged, or fatigued.

“Unfortunately last night we stopped six people who were over the breath alcohol limit, two of whom registered over 400mg.

“These people clearly don’t care about their own lives, or the lives of others.

It’s really disappointing,” says Superintendent Greally.

There were also six tickets issued for other road safety offences, including not wearing a seatbelt and speeding.

“I just find it so hard to believe that people are still not wearing seatbelts.

They are literally a lifesaver.

If you crash, you can’t just hit pause and quickly do your belt up.

You get in the car, you do up your seatbelt – easy,” Superintendent Greally says.

“On the upside, we were really pleased to see the vast majority of people doing the right thing.

And quite a few people thanked us for being out there doing our bit to keep people safe on the road.

“If everybody acted responsibly every time they got in a car we would stop losing people on our roads.

“It’s simple; wear your seatbelt, don’t go too fast for the conditions, put your phone away, and driver sober and alert.”

ENDS

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