Campaign shows speedsters 'not getting message'

Phil Toms polices the speed of drivers on Fanshawe St, Auckland City, as part of the Speed week police campaign. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

In less than 90 minutes, Constable Phillip Toms clocked about 30 speeding cars and had to jump off the road when one drove straight at him.

A number of drivers ignored the traffic officer's attempts to wave them down as he stood - speed detector pointed at oncoming traffic - on Fanshawe St in the central city yesterday.

Those errant drivers will now receive a fine in the mail and may also be charged with failing to stop.

Yesterday was the last day of a week-long, nationwide police clampdown on speeding.

The campaign also signalled the end of one of the worst weekends on record for road deaths.

The weekend road toll followed a horrific accident in which five people were killed when a van and car collided on SH1 north of Taupo on Friday.

Mr Toms said drivers did not seem to be getting the message.

"I was on Symonds St on Friday and someone was doing 67km/h in a 30 [km/h] area where there are a lot of workers walking around," he said yesterday. That was the same spot where two pedestrians were killed last year, he said.

The constable clocked another motorist at 92km/h in a 50km/h zone on Friday.

He said watching the officer on television who pulled two children from a burning van during Friday's multiple fatalities at Taupo really hammered it home. But he was reluctant to label that a "lesson for motorists".

"I would hate to call that a lesson. It really got me in the heart, watching the inspector on television. It's not nice at all."