Campaign Manhattan promises stiff measures for drink-drivers

Auckland police vow that drink-drive blitzes in which more than 7000 drivers were stopped at the weekend will continue with vigour until Christmas.

Police in the region's northern and western zones kicked off Campaign Manhattan, named after a potent cocktail, with road checkpoints reinforced by visits to bars and nightclubs to enforce liquor licensing laws.

They expect to be followed by colleagues in other Auckland districts each weekend from now until Christmas, and sometimes during week nights as the party season reaches its peak.

Superintendent Roger Carson, chairman of the region's police chiefs, denies wanting to dampen festivities but said alcohol was involved in 37 of 75 road deaths in Auckland last year and 111 serious injuries.

He said teenagers were responsible for 25 per cent of road smashes in which people were killed or injured, even though they accounted for just 7 per cent of drivers.

"Those who make the right choices will enjoy the festive season, but those who choose to drink irresponsibly and ruin the festive season for the law-abiding public will be stopped," Mr Carson said.

He took some comfort from a relatively low number of drivers caught over the legal alcohol limit at the weekend - 21 over two nights.

But he expressed dismay that three drivers were more than twice over the limit, getting 28-day automatic licence suspensions, and one was more than three times over.

Acting national road policing manager John Kelly was similarly distressed at a toll of eight deaths from crashes at the weekend, equal with the previous worst of the year, in February.

He feared the pre-Christmas season might be prompting time-pressed drivers to take too many risks to get everything done in time "and it just doesn't work".