Police have stopped a large number of drivers following an operation targeting high risk driving behaviour in Central Otago on Tuesday 12 December.
Police conducted an operation across the Crown Range Road and Cardrona Valley Road.
22 infringements were issued to drivers needlessly crossing the centre line and carrying out unsafe passing manoeuvres, with two drivers stopped travelling nearly twice the speed limit on the wrong side of the road through Cardrona Village.
Ten further infringements were issued for a range of offences including speeding, drivers using their mobile phones and failing to wear their seatbelts.
‘This type of high-risk behaviour puts our families, communities and visitors at risk,’ said Otago Lakes Road Policing Sergeant Dylan Hannah-Jones.
‘Police urge motorists to be patient, and drive to the conditions.
‘Driving while distracted, speeding, and failing to wear your seatbelt are all behaviours that increase the risk of crashes, which can result in serious injuries or even death.
‘Police will continue to put in the mahi to keep families safe all summer. We need our community to do their bit by driving safely, being patient and making good decisions behind the wheel.
‘For every 1km/h reduction in average speed across the roading network, there is a 6% reduction in fatal crash risk, or nearly a 30% reduction if speed is lowered by 5km/h. This is why we focus on speed, as we know it’s one of the main contributors of death and injury on New Zealand roads.’
