Police views of the behaviour of motorists on roads in the Orana region over Easter range from puzzlement to downright disappointment. They would be justified if they were outright angry.
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Their frustrations are clear.
Once again, the holidays arrive and the roads are busier with people visiting friends and family or taking a break with their loved ones. More traffic obviously means more risk of accidents.
So, the police launch their highly visible campaigns aimed at keeping down the road toll and the devastation caused by deaths and injury. They go out in force to act in the community’s interest.
And, once again many motorists ignore the warnings and pleas (and the plain use of common sense) not to indulge in risky driving behaviours.
By the end of Operation Tortoise, the safety campaign which ran from Thursday to midnight on Monday, the police had dealt with the usual percentage of road idiots – a number always far too high – who indulge in actions that place their lives and those of other road users at risk.
In Orana police issued 324 traffic infringements for bad behaviour. Of those 142 were for speeding.
Officers were disappointed at the number of motorists caught drink driving.
It is simple – there are still too many people prepared to take chances and commit both offences.
Inspector Dan Skelly of the Orana Mid-Western Police District summed it up well:
"Our region escaped any serious crashes which in itself is a great relief and result.
“Still disappointing is the number of people caught drink driving and speeding – these two categories of bad behaviour being the two big contributors to fatal crashes.
“Despite copious amounts of advertising about speeding and drink driving, and other bad driving behaviours, we still have people out there that do not heed the warnings and are willing to put themselves and others at risk. These are the people we want to catch up with before they wreck the lives of others," he says.
The issues for risk-takers are simple.
If you want to drink then don’t drive.
There is no need to speed.
Just don’t do it. And while you are at it don’t take any other unnecessary risks.
Always do everything you can to ensure you and other road users survive the drive.