Police are adding more muscle to the fight against the rising road toll with the appointment of two new senior officers to top positions in Road Policing.
The appointment of a new National Road Policing manager sees the return of Superintendent Carey Griffiths, who has a long career in road policing and for the first time in many years, Police has also created an Assistant Commissioner position with specific responsibility for Road Policing.
Assistant Commissioner Dave Cliff, former District Commander of Canterbury during the February earthquakes, has taken up the position and joins Superintendent Griffiths.
Between them they have a long and successful history in road policing and are determined to make a difference between life and death on New Zealand roads.
"We can't just sit by as countless families have their Christmas and perhaps the rest of their lives ruined by a needless and senseless traffic crash," said Assistant Commissioner Cliff today.
"We are determined to put in the circuit breaker these holidays. We all know that alcohol has a massive effect on the road toll - and these holidays we will be focussing on getting drunk drivers off our roads. The driving public can expect to get breath tested often, and on any road - urban or rural.”
Road crash and casualty trends continue to move downwards in the long term. However, during the latter months of 2012, the road toll has begun rising. The current road toll is 20 higher than at this time last year.
While the number of crashes remains relatively steady, analysis shows that the number of crashes involving multiple fatalities has risen.
Crashes involving drink driving remain a serious issue and form the most significant portion of the road toll. For drivers involved in all fatal crashes in 2006–2011, 28% were recorded as involving alcohol.
While there has been a sea change in attitude in the majority of urban and metropolitan drivers, for many rural drivers this has been slow to happen. The reasons for this are complex but contributors are, in part the difficulties rural drivers have in finding alternative forms of transport, entrenched attitudes, and fewer other types of activity.
Assistant Commissioner Cliff said that for every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders killed in road crashes, 54 of their passengers and 27 sober road users die with them," said, "This is just not good enough and we cannot sit by and let it happen”.
“We will be conducting high profile intensive alcohol checkpoints across the whole country in the period leading up to and during the holiday period in an attempt to deter all drink drivers," he said.
Police will be out in force over the holiday period and will prosecute every driver caught under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Speed, fatigue, driver distraction and seatbelt wearing will also be targeted.
ENDS
For further information:
Ross Henderson, Police Media, Email: ross.henderson@police.govt.nz or ph 027 703 7329
Lesley Wallis, Communications Manager , Road Policing, Email:
lesley.wallis@police.govt.nz or ph 04 470 7111
After hours media pager: 026 101082