Drivers keen to dob in bad behaviour

Police act on bad-driving reports. Photo / File

Complaints about dangerous driving in Hawke's Bay are having a positive effect on road safety, say police.

About 6000 traffic offences were reported last year.

Police figures show the number of reports of traffic offending in the Eastern policing district, which includes Hawke's Bay, rose from 5327 in the 2013/2014 financial year to 5849 in the last financial year.

The data includes events reported by phone through the 111 emergency and *555 traffic lines, or seen by police.

Eastern Police acting road policing manager Senior Sergeant Greg Brown said one recent call had led to a driver being caught speeding with more than five times the breath alcohol level.

"We are always happy to get these sorts of drivers off our roads," he said.

One elderly woman had 16 complaints in six months.

"A discussion with the driver revealed the poor driving was a result of her working extraordinarily long hours."

Mr Brown said the woman travelled about 50km every day with about four hours' sleep. He said she hadn't realised how badly her driving was affected and she burst into tears when she realised the danger she was placing herself and other motorists in.

"Discussions were had with her employers and a successful resolution reached. A great outcome for all concerned."

Figures showed 331 street racing complaints in the policing district last financial year, up on 293 the previous year. Mr Brown said 'boy racer' incidents were a growing trend in Hawke's Bay, most often involving cars doing burnouts.

And 754 traffic-related incidents involving animals were also reported. Some were put down, but most were put into the nearest field and the owner called.

If there were concerns about the quality of fencing, or the frequency of animals escaping from an address, corrective action might be required.

If a serious injury or fatality occurred as a result of wandering stock, a negligent owner could face either civil or criminal prosecution.

Mr Brown encouraged people to be proactive in checking their boundary fences.

He said he thought there was a growing awareness of the public's responsibility in keeping roads safe.

"Their part is giving us a call, and our part is assessing the risk and responding accordingly," he said.

Overall, reported traffic-related events rose from 9053 in the Eastern police district in the 2013/2014 financial year to 9558 last financial year.

They included more than 1700 crashes and 870 road hazards.

Nationwide, the number of *555 calls increased by more than 42,000 last financial year on the previous one.

There were nearly 308,000 *555 calls received last financial year.

People can dial *555 free from a mobile phone to report urgent but not life-threatening incidents.

This includes such things as non-injury crashes, erratic driving, traffic congestion, breakdowns and obstructions on the highway, according to police.