Some Whang¨¡rei motorists have received a fail result after Northland Police put a challenge to road users last week.
Northland Road Policing Manager, Inspector Anne-Marie Fitchett, asked motorists to consider their actions before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
More than 3,000 breath tests were conducted during an operation over the weekend, and Road Policing staff found some motorists clearly made poor driving choices.
¡°Our teams had checkpoints across Whang¨¡rei on both Friday and Saturday evening, 15 and 16 December, and we found there was significant room for improvement.
¡°Policing staff tested 3,043 drivers of vehicles across five different checkpoints on both evenings.¡±
Inspector Fitchett says 20 of those drivers were found to have consumed over the legal limit of alcohol before switching on their ignition.?
¡°Police don¡¯t conduct checkpoints for fun. We are ensuring the safety of our communities to make sure everyone is getting home safely this Christmas.
¡°It is disappointing our staff still issued 33 infringement notices to drivers who were not complying with the law.
¡°Don¡¯t be the reason your family, or someone else¡¯s, doesn¡¯t have their loved one home for the holidays.¡±
Police also issued infringements for four drivers who were found to be impaired by drugs and a further five who had previously been disqualified or suspended from driving.
Inspector Fitchett also wants to remind road users that if you make a poor driving choice ¨C it¡¯s on you.
¡°Elsewhere, outside of our planned checkpoints, Police pulled over an unrestrained driver to discover three children aged five and under were also unrestrained ¨C most concerning was a two-year-old sitting in the front passenger seat with no seatbelt on.
¡°A three and a five-year-old were located in the back without seatbelts or child seats, which the driver told us she had at home but had chosen not to use,¡± Inspector Fitchett says.
¡°Police were met with frustration and some verbal abuse from the driver who also had her vehicle impounded.¡±
We are reminding those in the region, and down the country, Police will have no tolerance for those caught intoxicated or impacted by drugs while driving or riding on the road.
¡°Our teams will be following through with the appropriate enforcement action,¡± Inspector Fitchett says.
¡°Make it a night to remember ¨C not a night to forget.¡±
ENDS.
Anna Thompson/51½ÖÉä
