Police issued 355 tickets along State Highway One in the South Island during an operation targeting high-risk drivers and behaviour. Police carried out a number of activities between March 9 and March 15, which included safety at railway crossings, speed through road works, crossing the centre line, vehicle standards and seat belts.
Alarmingly, over 100 tickets were sent out to drivers cutting corners in North Canterbury, and some were observed completely across the centre line in the on-coming lane.
In South Canterbury work around railway crossings revealed 10 dangerous actions, including five coaches failing to stop at a crossing, two trucks carrying flammable goods failing to stop, one car overtaking a stationary coach at a crossing, and another car crossing under red flashing lights.
A driver apprehended in the Tasman area for cannabis offences had in fact just come from a shoplifting spree around Motueka, and had several thousand dollars worth of stolen tools in the vehicle. Tasman Police also stopped a utility vehicle towing a skateboarder at 30-40 km/h, and a truck's heavy trailer was ordered off the road when major structural cracks were found in the chassis.
Checkpoints in Oamaru delivered a seat belt safety message and lollies to motorists, plus 18 tickets to people not wearing a restraint. A further nine seat belt tickets were issued around Dunedin, and 10 tickets for speeding through road works. Oamaru Police were also involved in the pursuit of a recidivist disqualified driver who reached 170 km/h trying to avoid capture.
Acting Road Policing Manager for Canterbury, Neville Hyland, hopes the work encourages motorists to think more carefully about their driving habits. "If some of the drivers change their behaviour and stop cutting corners, start taking care at road works and railway crossings, and start wearing a seat belt then we've helped make State Highway One a safer place to be for everyone."
The co-ordinated operation involved all three south Island Police districts (Tasman, Canterbury and Southern) plus the Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit, and was part of a wider five-month operation to improve safety along the main highway. Ending June 30th, Operation Tahi will cycle through phases targeting alcohol, speed, high-risk and dangerous driving, seat belts, and commercial and heavy vehicles.