Police in Whanganui will be breath testing all motorists they stop in the next few weeks, regardless of the time of day. Photo / Bevan Conley
Police in Whanganui will be breath testing all motorists they stop in the next few weeks, regardless of the time of day. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui drivers can expect to be breath tested if they're stopped by the police at any time of day over the next few weeks.
New Zealand Police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have issued a message for Kiwis who will be making the most of the festive season: "Arrive alive – if you're drinking, don't drive".
Four-hundred people are killed or seriously injured on New Zealand roads every year in crashes where the driver was impaired.
Sergeant Colin Wright, of the Whanganui Police Road Policing Group, said they would be focussing on impairment over the next few weeks, as people increased their intake of alcohol in the lead-up to Christmas.
"One thing that people don't think about is, even if they got a taxi the night before, if they had a real 'skinful' they could still be over the limit the next morning," Wright said.
"What I'm encouraging staff to do is breathalyse the driver of every vehicle they stop, no matter the time of day or night.
"If someone is planning on having a heavy night they should get a colleague to pick them up for work the next day, or use public transport if it's available to you. Then there are taxis, of course."
Wright said the message from police wasn't "don't drink", but rather "don't drink and drive".
"Even if you feel quite capable, it doesn't take much for a cyclist, pedestrian or another vehicle to do something unexpected in front of you.
"Any amount of alcohol can potentially compromise anyone, especially if you're not used to drinking and you suddenly have a decent amount. Youngsters will binge drink on the weekends and won't drink for the rest of the week, for example. That can be problematic too."
The consequences for someone caught drink-driving, or for someone involved in a crash while impaired, were "potentially huge", Wright said.
"It could be an infringement notice and 50 demerit points, or it's over 400 micrograms of alcohol (mg/dL), it'll be court case. That will affect your family, your job and your insurance.
"If there's a serious crash or a fatality then it affects a whole lot of people, and causes societal costs that balloon into the millions."
Sergeant Colin Wright, of the Whanganui Police Road Policing Group. Photo / Stuart Munro
Wright said while there was always a "hard core of people" who habitually drove while impaired, increased socialising over the coming weeks could lead to even more people drinking and driving.
"A lot of people say to us 'I've only had one glass', but if they're home measures then you're talking double, triple or even more of what an actual pub measure might be.
"A 100 millilitre glass of wine is one unit. If you pour that into a glass it doesn't really look like a lot, so home measures will be three times that probably. The same goes for spirits or beers."
Because Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, a lot of local companies would finish work in the week leading up to it, Wright said.
"The week before Christmas has the potential to be very busy for police, and for the roads as well."
