Editorial: Resist those summer bevvies

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With summer in full swing, it is often difficult to turn down that evening beer or wine.

This time of year is great for catching up with friends and family. The nights are longer, the atmosphere is more relaxed, and food and drinks are often flowing.

Some of us can be quite partial to a couple of bevvies at the end of the day, but if there's anything that we need to do, it is to remember not to drink and drive.

In today's Bay of Plenty Times, it was reported that more than a dozen motorists across the Western Bay had been caught flouting the new lower drink-driving limits, with some nabbed on their way home or heading to work after a night out.

Provisional data showed that throughout the country 63 drivers were ticketed for blowing between 250-400mcg during the first 10 days of the reduced drink-drive limit, which was introduced on December 1.

Those figures were only from the first few days of December as more recent ones were not yet available.

However, I'm sure that number would have increased over the Christmas-New Year period.

It is easy to fall into the party spirit unintentionally, but with the lower limit people need to be careful they don't flout the new law.

Those caught in the 250-400mcg infringement range face a $200 fine and 50 demerit points with an automatic three months' loss of licence if caught drink-driving twice in two years.

For drivers who refuse or fail to undergo an evidential breath test, the infringement fee has risen to $700 and also incurs the same demerit points.

For drivers aged under 20, the drink-driving limit remains at zero alcohol.

As of November 6 last year, 679 drivers had been summoned to appear in a Tauranga court on alcohol-related driving charges.

A significant drop compared with 1009 caught in 2013 and 1256 in 2012.

Meanwhile, police are attributing alcohol and speed to some of the fatal crashes this holiday period.

Since the holiday period started at 4pm on Christmas Eve, 16 people have lost their lives, double the number of people last year.