More arrests for traffic offences; lower road toll

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34044, 7 January 1976, Page 1

More arrests for traffic offences; lower road toll

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WELLINGTGON, January 6.

Increased traffic enforcement throughout New Zealand has resulted in more road users being apprehended or helped during the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

The period began at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and ended at 8 a.m. yesterday. In that time. 18 persons were arrested for being drunk in charge of a motorvehicle. Last year, 17 nersons were arrested on Ifhe charge.

; In addition to those who, |were arrested for drunkenjness. 497 people were given ' breath tests for blood-alcoholj I offences, compared with 336 i 'last year. The director of Road Transport (Mr M. W. Croy) said that keys were taken' from 524 motorists. Some! were considered unfit, fori health or emotional reasons. Others had been drinking and, in some cases, were not actually driving when their keys were taken from them. Last holidays, 370 sets of keys were taken. “Traffic officers of the Ministry of Transport stopped 26,850 people for various traffic offences during their patrols,” said Mr Croy. “Last year, this figure was 20.412.”

“Of these, 12,800 are likely to be prosecuted. Last year, 9800 holiday offences went before the courts. “In addition to this enforcement work, traffic officers offered assistance to 3530 people, about a third more than they were able to help last holidays,” said Mr Croy. “Many motorists had lost their way or had vehicle breakdowns.

“My officers have obviously* had a busy Christmas and have often had to work

in adverse weather con-, ditions,” said Mr Croy. “The holiday road toll is: lower than last year’s, and: the accident rate is a long! way below that which we; used to experience before! 1974. While speed control, seat belts, and a number of, other factors contribute to' this improvement, the motorists’ response to our patrol I work must have helped.” ; PRESSURE ON OFFENDERS ! The Government plans to! I step up pressure on motorists (offending against traffic laws.! ; The Minister of Transport: |(Mr McLachlan) said that,! although there was an imI proved road toll last year, (there was no room for coraplacency. | “Over the holiday period. 24 persons died on the roads, compared with 29 last year, and this year the official holiday period was two days longer. “But during the same holiday period, 185 people were seriously injured, compared with 164 last year. And the number of accidents in- . creased from 672 to 747.” He said that accidents up to New Year’s Eve took the ( annual road toll for 1975 to . 621, down 55 on the previous I year.

“Despite these figures, this is a field where there is always considerable room for improvement, and this year will see an intensification of study into ways to step up enforcement and improve our standard of road safety,” he said.

Mr McLachlan said that the Blood Alcohol Advisory Committee would reconvene early next month, and the Road Traffic Safety Research

Council would hold a seminar in late April to examine priorities for road safety research. To complement this, a new road safety programme would 'be introduced in schools this year, and the Parliamentarv Road Safety Committee would intensify its activities i "The fall in the road toll 'last year was a very wel come improvement," the Min lister said. “But every death that occurs on the road is an unnecessary tragedy, and I [will be sparing no effort to make sure that the road toll i this year is reduced even further.”