Police on Auckland's Motorway are suggesting motorists get smart as traffic flows increase towards the busy Christmas period.
O/C Motorways, Inspector Dave Walker says, "A large number of drivers on the motorway network are very responsible and are an example to others who never drive to the conditions and simply compound congestion on the motorway network."
In the past financial year, Police attended more than 2700 crashes on the motorway network.
Inspector Walker says, "Some drivers become their own worst enemies. They follow too closely, make unsafe lane changes, are busy talking and texting on the phone and just fail to pay attention to what is happening round them. The result is often a crash that just increases the congestion and the frustration," says Inspector Walker.
If there are more than 1500 vehicles per lane per hour then congestion occurs and that number is often exceeded in Auckland, due to the current infrastructure.
Police and Transit New Zealand are suggesting ways to avoid the congestion.
Before heading out motorists can check the Auckland traffic website that details congestion levels and incidents for all the motorways and suggests alternative routes to avoid delays. The information is updated every hour and every twenty minutes during peak hours. The site is http://www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/current-conditions/webcams/auckland/traf...
Motorists can avoid travel in peak hours, check radio traffic updates and also the overhead display signs on the motorway can give information to avoid delays on the network.
"Driving is all about making informed decisions and we would encourage people to consider how they can avoid motorway congestion in the lead up to Christmas. That includes some motorway users having a good hard look at their own style of driving, before we do," says Inspector Walker.