Repeat drink-drivers still hitting the road

Recidivist drink-drivers are still getting behind the wheel.

The number of Hawke's Bay convictions for drink-driving is dropping - but experts say more needs to be done with repeat offenders who insist on getting behind the wheel.

In Hastings and Napier district courts, the number of drink-driving convictions has dropped steadily over the past five years, according to Ministry of Justice figures. The number of drivers on their third or subsequent conviction also fell in Hastings, but increased in Napier.

The convictions included people charged for driving with excess breath alcohol, driving with excess blood alcohol and refusing to give a blood sample.

Roadsafe Hawke's Bay regional manager Linda Anderson believed initiatives such as a lowered alcohol limit were having an effect. "We've heard people saying 'it's just not worth it', which is great. That's exactly what we want to hear."

Recidivist drivers were harder to reach, however, she said. "We have to focus on changing people's mindsets. People say 'oh but I've driven home for years and never had a crash' but statistically, they've been lucky not to have one."

A part of changing behaviour was getting people to plan how they would get home, she said.

"We're targeting young people, trying to get them to include how they'll get home in their plan for the night. There's also some parent responsibility and host responsibility. If you're going to host an event you should be ensuring people get home safe or offering them somewhere to stay."

New Zealand Transport Agency road safety director Ernst Zollner said it was encouraging to find the number of drink-driving convictions reducing in many courts - but drink-driving was still a major problem.

"It inflicts a huge amount of pain and suffering on New Zealand families and communities, and more needs to be done," he said.

"There are no silver bullets in road safety, but there are areas where the volume of scientific evidence is overwhelming in showing the benefits of a change, and lowering legal alcohol limits for driving is one of those areas. When you lower the alcohol limit and back that up with effective publicity and targeted enforcement, you save lives and prevent serious injuries."

The zero alcohol limit for teens, alcohol interlocks to disable cars when alcohol is detected on breath and new penalties for serious and repeat drink-driving offenders would also help reduce grief and suffering, he said.

AA spokesman Dylan Thomsen said the message to not drink and drive seemed to be getting through to most - but more needed to be done about recidivist drink drivers.

"The lowered drink-driving limit might have changed the behaviour of some people but it's not enough to change the behaviour of hard core drink-drivers," he said. "A lot of those people have serious drinking problems - their issues are much bigger than just driving."

Mr Thomsen said the AA supported the use of alcohol interlock systems.

"They've proven to be really successful overseas but there hasn't been that many put in the couple of years that they have been able to be used as a part of a person's conviction. A person might not intend to drive when they're sober but they get behind the wheel not realising how drunk they are. The interlock system stops them from that."

AA also believed convicted drink-drivers should be assessed and provided rehabilitation services if necessary, Mr Thomsen said. An AA Research Foundation report in 2013 showed more than 11,000 (51.2 per cent) of the drink-drivers caught in 2012 were repeat offenders.NZME.