Police alarmed by brazen driving offences near school, risking lives

Police are alarmed by the number of people breaching road rules and threatening the safety of children near a primary school. Photo / File

Police are alarmed by the number of people seen breaking road rules and threatening lives near a primary school during an operation last week.

Counties Manukau Police saw 23 red light runners or people speeding up to get through orange traffic lights, 46 motorists using their phones and 15 people speeding as children were arriving at school on two mornings.

"The stark reality is that running red lights, speeding and being distracted by using your phone does cause serious injury and deaths on our roads, Counties Manukau road policing manager Inspector Tony Wakelin said.

He called the behaviour dangerous, especially so when it was directly outside a school with children as young as 5 crossing the road.

Police started the operation because of a "concerning number" of reports of near misses involving children outside that particular primary school.

"Police sometimes get criticised for running these operations, however, this is an example of why it's an important part of our prevention work," Wakelin said.

"When we conduct these operations, we are trying to save lives. For me, a successful operation is one where police do not identify any offences, as that would mean motorists are driving safely."