Editorial: Revenue gathering? No, it's about saving lives

Photo / Dean Purcell

Today, the Weekend Herald takes an in-depth look at the 12 people who lost their lives during a dreadful Easter on the roads.

The number, the highest in 18 years, should have been a wake-up call for motorists.

Clearly, the police believe this was not the case. Extra officers will be out in force this Queen's Birthday Weekend to try to prevent a recurrence of the 10 deaths during the corresponding period last year.

This clampdown has been accompanied by police advertising that they will do "everything within our powers to stop you making poor and dangerous driving decisions".

Why the polite warning? This weekend, many motorists, heeding the advertising, will probably take their foot off the accelerator and forsake risky manoeuvres.

The improved behaviour will probably prompt a reduction in the weekend toll. But will it have a permanent effect, or will drivers simply revert to bad habits when they know policing has returned to normal levels?

Variations on this softly-softly strategy are the norm for New Zealand. When a cellphone ban was introduced, drivers were given a period of grace.

Predictably, all that happened was that some motorists soon went back to using their phones while driving, knowing they would not receive a ticket.

Similarly, warning signs were erected when speed cameras were introduced. Only the truly foolish were caught. Drivers in Victoria, which is often mentioned as a leader in road-safety techniques, received no such largesse.

The Commissioner of Police, Howard Broad, is talking tough. Horrific road tolls, especially at holiday weekends, give him ample justification.

This latest police blitz is not about revenue-gathering; it is about saving lives. When these are at stake in such large numbers, it is reasonable to expect the police to use all means at their disposal.