While the rest of the country focuses on major sporting events Waikato Police are focusing on the basics, trying to keep people safe from themselves, particularly on the roads.
District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, said two incidents over the weekend suggested drivers were not only not heeding the basics, but deliberately ignoring them.
"On Saturday a man in his twenties was stopped on SH2, Maramarua, after his car was recorded traveling at 177km/h in a 100km/h speed zone.
"The man said he had flown up from Invercargill to Auckland to purchase the Subaru and told the officer; 'he just had to see how fast it could go'."
Mr Tooman said as a result of his excessive speed the driver was stood down from driving for 28 days and faces a charge of driving at a dangerous speed.
"This type of driving attitude is disappointing when you consider the Waikato has lost 41 people on our roads this year compared to 35 for the same period in 2010, of those deaths seven were directly related to speed."
Mr Tooman said it was particularly concerning the driver chose to drive at such a dangerous speed there given SH2 had seen 29 fatal crashes since 2001 and there is currently a proposal to lower the legal speed limit along that stretch of road from 100km/h to 80km/h.
But if officers thought they had managed to prevent a potential tragedy in the east of the District a far greater risk was averted a few hours later.
"At about 1.15am Sunday morning members of the Waikato Traffic Alcohol Group stopped a car being driven by a 31-year-old woman on Hamilton's Tristram St.
"The woman, who was driving with three young children in the car, returned a breath alcohol reading of 1359mgms, over three times the legal limit."
Mr Tooman said the woman's driver's license was suspended for 28 days and she faces a charge of third or subsequent excess breath alcohol.
"Of concern to us is that there appears a culture is developing where people think; 'it's only drink driving, don't get so upset and we seem to be developing a hardcore recidivist group of drivers.
"Five of our 41 road deaths this year involved speed and alcohol on the part of the driver while four involved alcohol alone as a contributing factor while three pedestrians have died while under the influence of alcohol and we are awaiting toxicology results of a fourth."
Another are of concern for Police is that women seem to be just as immune to the drink driving safety message as men with a number recording very high breath alcohol readings.
"In March a 37-year-old female restaurant manager blew 1157mgms in Hamilton while a 48-year-old woman was found driving on the wrong side of the road in the City in May and returned a breath reading of 1000mgms.
"Then in July a dog handler pulled over to help a 39-year-old woman who's car appeared to have broken down, on inspection he found the teacher well under the influence of alcohol and she returned a breath alcohol reading of 1460mgms."
Mr Tooman said given 19 people in total were processed for excess breath alcohol over the weekend drivers, regardless of age or gender, needed to heed the road safety message.
"Not only drivers, but passengers too, it needs to become socially unacceptable for drivers to put their own lives and those of other road users at risk regardless if it is as a result of speed, alcohol or the manner of driving."
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