Southern District Police will be out in force tomorrow (Friday 18 December) to bring the anti-drink drive message home to all communities as part of the nationwide "Big Day Out".
The Big Day out follows on from the Australasian blitz on alcohol-fuelled violence last weekend and focuses on the dangers of drinking and driving.
To date in 2009 there have been 23 fatal crashes and 27 people have died on Southern roads this year, compared with a total of 30 fatal crashes resulting in 33 people dying in 2008. A number of these crashes and the resulting injuries had alcohol as a driver factor.
Alcohol is the most socially accepted, commonly used drug in New Zealand. It also contributes to around 30 percent of all fatal road crashes on our roads.
"It's tragic that at this time of year there will be a number of people killed on our roads as a result of drink driving, and it could be a member of your family and friends," said Acting Southern District Road Policing Manager, Snr Sgt Steve Larking.
"If you are out and about socialising at Christmas functions make it a priority to get home safely - either by organising some one to pick you up, having a sober driver, or catching a taxi," he said.
Southern Police will be undertaking high profile compulsory breath test stops throughout the region from midday on Friday through to the early hours of Saturday morning.
Additional staff have been tasked to undertake these duties and the focus will be on education as well as enforcement, said Invercargill Area Tactical Response Manager Inspector Olaf Jensen.
The operation comes off the back of Operation Unite the previous weekend in which Invercargill Police were very pleased with the lack of alcohol-related crime, in particular drink-driving offending.
Some 400 vehicles were left parked up overnight at the Ascot Raceway after the Christmas Gallops meet in Invercargill last weekend. This was an indication of the responsible attitude shown by those attending races, Inspector Jensen said.
"This attitude will hopefully continue throughout the festive season," he said.
In Dunedin, Operation Expect More Testing continues with a focus on reducing drink driving in urban areas through mass testing as many drivers as possible during high alcohol hours at highly visible checkpoints.
"We want to make sure that our message gets out there to every driver in the city, with no exceptions," said Dunedin Emergency Response Commander, Inspector Alastair Dickie.
Inspector Dickie said police will be extending this enforcement and educational effort throughout the day with strategic traffic, and outstation and emergency response staff conducting checkpoints throughout the city.
"While most New Zealanders drive safely, do not speed and do not drink and drive, we want to ensure that those who insist on endangering the rest of us are detected," he said.
"The tragedy of a fatality at this time of year is something we hope to avoid and we do not want the holiday period to be marked by sadness for countless families."
ENDS