When it comes to speeding our Highway Patrol officers have heard it all, literally.
From stuck jandals to stressed out dogs, lead foot motorists have tried just about every excuse in the book to get out of a speeding fine.
Summer’s here, and as part of our continued effort to remind drivers there is no excuse to speed, Police are highlighting the worst, and most wild, excuses for speeding road policing staff in each district have come across.
In the Central District, officers stopped one driver for speeding and when asked why, he told Police it wasn’t his intention to drive too fast, it’s just that a wasp was on the accelerator pedal and he’d stamped on it to kill it, which must have sped him up. We hate it when that happens.
For one unlucky motorist, who was stopped driving at excessive speed, the excuse was simple: ‘I’m almost out of petrol so I need to get to the service station quicker’.
Yeah, nah.
Central District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Ashley Gurney, says while there is no excuse to speed, the reasons they hear on the daily are too funny not to share, but is also hoping through the humour people will realise there is a consequence to their actions.
“From ‘I thought the road signs were in miles per hour to ‘my breasts were tingling’ (from the mother of a newborn), our Police have heard everything,” Inspector Gurney says.
“There’s nothing funny about attending a road death.
“Every opportunity we can take to reduce speeds, even by a fraction, has the potential to make a huge difference to safety on our roads.”
Inspector Gurney says officers hear the same old excuses from drivers when they’re caught speeding, time and time again.
But Police often also have to witness the horrific consequences when there’s a crash.
“’There isn’t a speed limit here, it’s a passing lane. You can go as fast as you like to overtake safely', ‘It’s not me, blame the car, it's the car’… but it’s not, it’s the driver,” he says.
“In a crash, even when you’re not at fault, speed remains the single biggest factor in whether you and your passengers walk away or are carried away.
“It’s simple: less speed means less harm.
“We want you to get to your destination, so slow down, drive to the speed limit and drive to the conditions. And know that you can expect to see Police out on the roads – anytime and anywhere.”
ENDS.
Holly McKay/NZ Police