19 teenagers among drink drivers nabbed in blitz

A police drink-driving sting in West Auckland at the weekend stopped 6041 vehicles and caught 74 people over the limit, including 19 teenagers.

Checkpoints were set up on streets and the main off-ramps from the Northwestern Motorway.

Eighteen people were also arrested for non-drink-driving offences, and three stolen vehicles were stopped, including one with a disqualified driver at the wheel.

Senior Sergeant Jacqui Whittaker said a similar operation last October caught 51 drink-drivers and the latest results were concerning.

"They clearly indicate the 'Don't Drink and Drive' message is simply being ignored by some people."

In a separate weekend operation, the police commercial vehicle unit targeted taxis, trucks and buses in West Auckland.

Sergeant Brian Locke said staff stopped 223 commercial vehicles, including 145 taxis.

Nineteen drivers were charged with logbook offences and 11 had exceeded their allowed driving hours.

One taxi was operating an unsealed meter and four had expired passenger endorsements, which meant they had not had a police background check.

A privately owned diesel four-wheel-drive was also caught in the sting, with the driver facing a $7000 fine for being 76,000km over his road user licence.