Week-end drivers ignore blitz

Press, 26 October 1982, Page 1

Week-end drivers ignore blitz

Far too many motorists ignored the Labour Day week-end drinking-driving blitz, according to the Ministry of Transport. Senior-Sergeant J. McKee said last evening that on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, there were more people than usual driving after drinking. Provisional figures from the week-end blitz, from 4 p.m. on Friday to 8 p.m. last evening, showed that 64 breath screening tests were taken. Of these. 55 were evidential. Blood samples were taken from 31. In addition, three people were arrested for failing to accompany a traffic officer. Senior-Sergeant McKee said that there were 10 injury accidents and 18 noninjury accidents during the week-end. "However, there weren’t as many accidents on Saturday night as usual. The weather could have kept a lot of people at home, and so could the rugby match on television. Or it might have been the blitz." he said. The Ministry of Transport put extra traffic officers on

duty at the week-end. Twice the usual number were on the roads on Saturday night. Senior-Sergeant McKee said. Holiday traffic returning to Christchurch on the Main North Road had been delayed for a short time after tw'o tail-end collisions at the Ashley River bridge, but the road was soon cleared. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. yesterday, traffic on the Main North Road heading into Christchurch had been heavy. Traffic coming into Christchurch from the south was not as heavy.