Blitz again finds many drunk drivers

Auckland police say they are disappointed at the number of people they continue to pick up on drink driving offences.

Of the 7958 drivers stopped as part of a blitz at the weekend, 104 people were caught driving with excess breath alcohol.

Similar blitzes in October and November both picked up 108 drink drivers, though closer to 9000 people were stopped in both the earlier blitzes.

Auckland police road policing manager, Inspector Heather Wells, said police were disappointed the anti-drink driving message was not getting through to so many people.

"There are options readily available so people don't have to drink and drive," she said today.

"The price of a taxi, dial-a-driver, or having a sober driver are all a lot cheaper than being prosecuted for drink driving, and a lot easier to live with than killing or injuring someone."

In addition to the 104 people with excess breath alcohol levels, 24 people elected to have blood tests taken to determine whether they would face court proceedings.

She said several of those who returned positive breath alcohol tests had readings of more than 1000mcg per litre of breath, well above the legal limit of 400mcg. Twenty-one of the 104 who failed tests were under the age of 20.

Twelve people were arrested by blitz officers for offences other than drink driving, including two on drugs charges, three disqualified drivers, three for failing to accompany police and two for breach of bail. Ten cars were impounded.

Earlier in the weekend, a driver involved in a crash on Ian McKinnon Drive, central Auckland, on Friday night which killed a passenger in the other car was processed for drink driving, Ms Wells said.

She said police would continue to have checkpoints and the occasional blitz during the year.

- NZPA