Police say an increased presence along State Highway 5 as part of the 'Stay alive on 5' campaign, has increased the number of drivers caught for bad driving by 166 per cent. Photo / NZME
Police say an increased presence along State Highway 5 as part of the 'Stay alive on 5' campaign, has increased the number of drivers caught for bad driving by 166 per cent. Photo / NZME
Hawke's Bay police say their increased presence and road safety campaign along State Highway 5 is leading to improved driver behaviour along the route.
The "Stay Alive on 5" campaign was launched in November last year in a bid to prevent fatal and serious crashes on the Napier-Taupō road.
It was created by Constable Steven Knox who was motivated to improve the roads after losing a close friend in a crash.
Since its inception, 1073 vehicles have been stopped for various reasons on the road and 557 tickets and written traffic warnings have been issued.
Police interactions along the route have increased by 417 per cent compared with last year.
It's also led to a 166 per cent increase in the number of driving complaint subjects caught, which Knox attributes to the extra patrols.
The 'Stay alive on 5' campaign was launched in November last year to help address dangerous driving on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō. Photo / NZME
"I believe with our extra presence we are stopping these people, where previously they may have gone through undetected," Knox said.
"A police presence on the road is a powerful deterrent to speed and dangerous driving, such as risky overtaking manoeuvres."
A key tool in the campaign is an increased police presence and visibility on the road with both marked and unmarked patrol vehicles working in tandem, and the use of speed camera vans, he said.
In addition to the billboards, repair work and fatigue stops, police had increased the use of mufti cars and night patrols which had "seen good success".
"The driving behaviour on SH5 is definitely improving and I thank the travellers for this."
Drivers spotted displaying good behaviour - such as pulling over to use their phone, taking breaks or letting traffic pass them - are rewarded with the offer of a reusable "Stay Alive on 5" coffee cup.
Knox said the plan for the next six months was to keep up the level of local patrols and look at utilising different tactical vehicles, such as mufti vehicles or a police motorbike.
This was in addition to work going on to improve the road conditions and continued speed monitoring.
