KEY POINTS:
Police stopped 106 drivers with excess breath alcohol in a crackdown on drink driving in Auckland City this weekend.
City Police and the Traffic Alcohol Group stopped 6211 cars from 3am on Saturday and Sunday.
They arrested seven people, impounded eight cars and took licences off 16 drivers after they registered high breath readings.
Of those found to be over the limit based on breath tests, 27 were aged under 20 and only 18 were travelling to addresses within the city, Inspector Heather Wells said.
"This means they would have considerable distances to travel on open roads and clearly indicates the risk they put on other road users," she said.
Police said one of the drivers stopped at a checkpoint continued to drive after getting keys off a passenger.
They said he was stopped at a second checkpoint and processed again. His vehicle was subsequently impounded.
Inspector Wells said: "It is not uncommon to process a driver on the Saturday morning and then again on the Sunday morning. Some people just aren't concerned when they are apprehended."
On Sunday morning a car crashed into another in a city street, spun around and crashed into a glass front building. The driver blew a result of 0600.
In a similar operation in March, police prosecuted 94 drivers for drink-driving after checking 7974 vehicles.
Inspector Wells said police were determined to catch drink drivers and called on the public to stop friends and family getting behind the wheel when they were over the limit.
"It is a waste of innocent lives when there is a death or serious injury as a result of drink driving. Police are concerned about the increase in the number of injury alcohol related crashes," she said.
"People are entitled to drive and ride on the roads in safety. It is obvious some people still think 'they won't be caught' or crash."
Police urged motorists to use taxis, dial-a-drivers or sober drivers when drinking.
"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."
- NZHERALD STAFF
