Police at an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) vehicle checkpoint in Manukau have this morning stopped a man who is taking dangerous driving to a new level.
The 32 year old Manurewa man has a condition on his licence to only operate a vehicle with hand-held controls as he has no use of his legs.
Sergeant Mark Fleming of the Counties Manukau Road Policing Unit says that what the team found when he was stopped just before 9:30am was very unusual.
“He was found to be in a regular vehicle, without hand controls, but using a shortened walking stick to operate the brake and accelerator,” says Sergeant Fleming. “Needless to say this was a very surprising thing to come across and we are shocked at his blatant disregard for his own safety and the safety of other road users.
“Operating a vehicle with a stick is an extremely dangerous practice and it would be impossible to safely control a vehicle in this way. It’s very disappointing to see that in spite of all the efforts being made by Police and our community to reduce the road toll and make the roads safer, there are still people out there who are taking these kinds of unnecessary risks with people’s safety.”
The man has held a learner licence since 2002. He also had two passengers, neither of whom were licenced to drive.
“Thankfully the ANPR vehicle allows us to quickly scan all passing vehicles, ensuring we can identify dangerous drivers and wanted criminals without disrupting traffic flow and members of the public who are using the road safely.
“We’d like to remind all road users to abide by the conditions of their driver’s licence for their own safety and the safety of those around them. We expect that what we’ve seen today is not being repeated anywhere else.”
The man has been charged with dangerous driving and will appear in the Manukau District Court.
ENDS
Issued by Kimberley Mathews/Communications Manager, Counties Manukau Police
021 192 0717