More than 100 tickets were issued by Canterbury Police targeting motorists crossing the centreline on State Highway 1 during Labour Day Weekend.
Senior Sergeant Phil Newton of the Canterbury Highway Patrol said 104 Infringement Notices were issued to motorists who failed to keep to the left of the centre line.
The operation focused on winding stretches of road along State Highway 1 near Kaikoura.
"Most of the drivers were simply going too fast when approaching bends - then driving into the opposing lane in the hope that nothing was coming towards them," he says.
"This is incredibly unsafe and dangerous driving.
"During holiday weekends in particular, most of these cars contain families who are put at risk each time someone drives into the opposing lane when approaching a bend."
Head-on crashes, which are often the deadliest type of crashes, can only occur when someone crosses the centre line, Senior Sergeant Newton says.
Each driver received a fine of $150.00 and 20 demerit points.
Police have seen a reduction in fatal crashes on SH7 where centre line and speed enforcement has been carried out, from an average of more than five fatalities a year before 2007 to just over two a year after 2007.
"We've seen a positive improvement as a result of increased enforcement along with better public awareness. But there's clearly still a large number of motorists who aren't getting the message.
"It's not acceptable for drivers to put themselves and others at risk by crossing centre lines. Every motorist needs to take the responsibility to ensure that all road users have safe journeys."
A similar operation last October also netted more than 100 infringement notices, and Police will continue to target this type of driving, Senior Sergeant Newton says.
Further enforcement is planned to coincide with the summer holiday season.
ENDS
Photos: Cars caught on camera crossing the centre line during the recent police operation on SH1.
