New Zealand Police are rolling out a national advertising campaign in partnership with ACC to ensure the driving public know that there will be no tolerance for speeding this summer.
This video features a heartfelt message from police officers as they appeal to thousands of their fellow colleagues to help protect the community by enforcing the speed limit nationwide. They are also appealing to the driving public to slow down.
The video features:
Sergeant Lance Mulu - Mangere NPT
Constable Stu Rota - Wellington Dog Handler
Inspector Melanie Aitken - Dunedin Area Prevention Manager
Constable Jennifer Nelley - Masterton Public Safety team
Constable Wendy Bryant - Wellington Strategic Traffic Unit
Constable Rachel Kapa - Ruatoria General Duties
Constable Helen Lemay - Nelson Criminal Justice Support Unit
Superintendent Carey Griffiths, National Manager of Road Policing says: "While most Kiwis love to travel in December and January, far too many never make it home. Still more face a lifetime of debilitating injury. Summer is a risky season on our roads and it's even more dangerous when people drive too fast. All drivers are human, mistakes happen. But irrespective of the cause of crash, a vehicle's speed at the time of impact is the key determinant of whether we live or die."
Reducing the speed enforcement threshold has been used successfully to reduce crashes by lowering speeds over holiday periods since 2010. This is the first time it has ever been used over an extended summer period (2 months).
It is just one of a range of tactics being used by police and its road safety partners to save lives and prevent life-altering injuries. These tactics will also include increased police visibility on our roads, as well as both targeted and random roadside testing for alcohol impairment.
For the same two month period in 2012/2013, there were 416 serious injuries on our roads, including 57 deaths. The number of lives lost and broken through trauma on our roads is unacceptably high. Targeting those who put others at risk by speeding is the most effective way police can help bring it down. But we need all road users to do their bit too.
Police officers are absolutely clear about their mission this summer. “We swore an oath at Royal New Zealand Police College to protect life,” says Superintendent Carey Griffiths. “Our mission is safer communities together, and if we can do something to save people dying, we will.”
Media contact - Ross Henderson, +64 4 470 7316