Chch has 24 accidents at week-end

Press, 4 June 1984, Page 6

Chch has 24 accidents at week-end

From 4 p.m. on Friday until last evening there had been six injury accidents and 18 non-injury accidents on Christchurch roads, said the Ministry of Transport yesterday. Special attention was paid to drinking drivers during the week-end. On Saturday evening 12 checkpoints stopped 197 vehicles. Five positive breath-screening tests were reported and one evidential breath-screening test. Another 50 motorists suspected of drinking were stopped in the greater Christchurch area on Friday and Saturday evenings. Of those tested. 27 returned positive breathscreening tests, 24 had evidential breath tests, and 13 blood specimens were taken. Three drivers refused to give blood samples and there was one arrest. Senior-Sergeant S. G. Burt, of the Ministry of Transport, said that the

numbers apprehended were higher than for a normal week-end but this could have been caused by the greater number of officers on the road and the higher density’ of traffic. Traffic on Friday evening was described as light to moderate while it was much heavier on Saturday evening. Senior-Sergeant Burt said the only big problem on Saturday was the amount of traffic on the Main South Road because of the Ashburton races. The presence of a lot of horse floats often caused traffic to bank up. A lot of officers were required to handle traffic during the City of Christchurch marathon yesterday. Officers were controlling intersections from 9.30 a.in. until about 2.30 p.m. Senior-Sergeant Burt said most drivers were well behaved when held up at these intersections.