“Some of it was good luck rather than good management that they weren’t been involved in serious crashes.”
The fleeing motorists were eventually caught.
Scarrow said it still wasn’t hard for police to find drink-drivers in Whanganui.
“They are still out there, still doing it, and still putting everyone at risk.
“We have been lucky not to have any really serious incidents in Whanganui over the last few days.
“There has certainly been some alarming driving that has come to our attention.”
Across the Manawatū-Whanganui region, there were 32 road-related deaths in 2023 - two less than the previous year.
A police spokesperson said they had provisionally seen 340 road-related deaths nationally in 2023.
That was down 34 from 2022 but holiday road deaths sat at 15 on January 1.
“We have already equalled last year’s number of deaths in the same holiday season, with two days still remaining,” the spokesperson said.
“While it is worth noting the reduction in overall deaths, there are still too many people who didn’t get to spend the festive season with loved ones.”
They said speed, alcohol and drugs and distraction were still the main causes of death and serious injury.
“Wearing your seatbelt can also be the difference between surviving a crash and not.
“As people continue to travel around Aotearoa, the roads will be busier than usual.
“Please be patient, plan your trips, drive sober and pull over if you feel tired.”
Scarrow said there would continue to be more police on Whanganui roads over the holiday period.
“There is always more on Boxing Day because of the influx of motorcyclists for the (Cemetery Circuit) races.
“On New Year’s Eve, we obviously had extra staff as well, with a lot more breath-testing done than on a regular night.”
Results from the tests hadn’t been compiled as yet, he said.
Police are also concentrating on higher-speed areas in the district.
Scarrow said 70 per cent of fatal crashes and serious injuries on New Zealand roads occurred in areas with speed limits of 70 km/h or over.
“As far as New Year’s Eve goes, the weather was atrocious.
“I was driving in it and was quite surprised by the number of people not slowing down despite visibility becoming challenging in that heavy rain.”
Despite constant safety messages from police, there was always a core group who didn’t take them seriously, he said.
“They think they are immune but unfortunately, from the crashes we attend, no one is immune.
“If you aren’t wearing your seatbelt there is a very high chance you’ll end up with worse injuries.
“The beach isn’t going anywhere. Slow down and take your time.”
Scarrow said in general, speeding in Whanganui was dropping as police tolerance came down.
However, motorists caught on their cellphones while driving was “becoming an epidemic”.
Those caught are issued a $150 fine and 20 demerit points without a warning.
It can also be escalated to a careless or dangerous driving charge, depending on the circumstances.
“It’s getting out of control across the board - not just those few idiots,” Scarrow said.
“Even compared to five years ago, there are a whole lot more people using phones. It’s so much of a habit they aren’t even aware they’re doing it.
“They have the phone down low, thinking we can’t see it, but they don’t raise their head for seconds at a time.”
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
