Waikato Police have commenced a two-week operation targeting truck drivers. The message is simple - take your safety seriously.
In the first two days of the campaign starting last Friday, 80 heavy motor vehicles were stopped. Of these, 19 were exceeding 90 km/hr and 5 were exceeding 50 km/hr. 8 of the drivers were not wearing a seatbelt.
Waikato Road Policing Manager Freda Grace says "These drivers can't afford to get complacent. When you get into a heavy motor vehicle you are not suddenly invincible and exempt from rules like wearing seatbelts. Through this Operation, we really want to hammer home this point."
"When we're dealing with large, heavy vehicles traveling at speed, the potential for carnage, even at only a few kilometres over the speed limit, is frightening" Ms Grace adds.
Waikato roads are among the busiest in the country in terms of the number of trucks on the roads, owing largely to being located between two major ports - Auckland and Tauranga.
While the standard rules apply for drivers in terms of getting enough sleep and taking regular breaks, Ms Grace also urges drivers to think twice about the taking the quickest route on smaller roads not designed as major truck thoroughfares.
"The priority must be getting from A-B in the safest way possible, not necessarily the quickest" says Ms Grace. "We strongly urge drivers to resist the urge to set ambitious targets in terms of the time it will take to get from A-B. They need to be realistic about the delays they will face say if conditions change through the course of their journey."
Ms Grace wants truck drivers on Waikato roads to know they can and will be stopped by any Road Policing units at any time. "We want to see that they are taking their safety and the safety of other motorists seriously. There is simply too much at stake".
ENDS