Severe crash prompts police blitz

A weekend crash involving a suspected drunk driver flung from a car that rolled 40m has sparked a Far North police operation targeting drink-drivers.
And the results - 19 drivers caught flouting the law - have shocked Northland's top traffic cop.
A 29-year-old was thrown from his vehicle as it rolled after hitting a tree about 2.30am on State Highway One near Te Kao on Saturday.
The man is in a stable condition in Whangarei Hospital with facial fractures.
Police confirmed he was not wearing a seatbelt and initial investigations revealed he could have been driving at more than 100km/h when his car hit loose metal, started to slide, then slammed into a tree.
The severity of the crash prompted Northland police to immediately target the area in a bid to cut drink-driving in the remote area.
The latest police statistics show 23 percent of crashes in the Far North involve alcohol.
Within two hours on Sunday six drivers were stopped and two were allegedly over the legal breath-alcohol level.
A man allegedly blew 912 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath while a woman allegedly recorded 692 mcg. The legal limit is 400 mcg.
During the weekend Traffic Alcohol Group staff picked up a total of 19 drink-drivers in the Kaitaia area.
Northland Road Policing manager Inspector Clifford Paxton said the behaviour of some drivers in the Far North was "totally unacceptable". The crash at Te Kao showed how dire the consequences could be.
"This man is lucky to be alive. We will not tolerate drink-driving and we will continue to target areas in the Far North and other parts of Northland to stop this carnage," Mr Paxton said.
Kaitaia police Senior Sergeant Gordon Gunn said the message seemed to be getting through in Kaitaia, but rural areas were "obviously crawling with drunk drivers".
Houhora fire brigade was called to Saturday's crash and the team of six made it to the scene on Far North Rd within 20 minutes.