Slow traffic causes risky overtaking

Press, 30 December 1985, Page 7

Slow traffic causes risky overtaking

PA Wellington Slow motorists, particularly caravanners, are being “plucked” out of holiday traffic by Ministry of Transport officers who fear that frustration and hasty overtaking may be pushing up the road toll.

Eleven people have died so far during the Christmas holiday period, which started officially on Christmas Eve, and is not due to end until 8 a.m. on January 3. At the same time last year the holiday toll stood at five.

A Ministry of Transport spokesman, Assistant Chief Traffic Superintendent Henry Gore, said that while there was no dominant cause of the large number* of deaths this summer, several of the most serious accidents had involved head-on collisions.

“There is often ample space to pull over and let those following pass, but we have seen caravanners just keep on moving — it is happening all over the coun-

Mr Gore said the frustration and impatience of following motorists sometimes grew to such a point that they were willing to take dangerous risks in overtaking, a move that could end disastrously. Officers in spotting planes, as well as looking for speeding drivers, were also guiding patrol cars to the offending slow motorists, who were then “plucked” out of the traffic.

the interests of road safety for slow motorists to keep an eye on their rear-vision mirror for traffic build-ups. He also warned that those holding up traffic could be fined.

Mr Gore said it was pleasing that only 2.7 motorists in every 100 stopped at checkpoints since Christmas Eve needed to be asked for breath samples to test for suspected drunken driving. Of the 13,067 motorists stopped throughout New Zealand, 364 had been asked for roadside breath samples. Of those, 180 were likely to face prosecution. Five motorists had been arrested and three traffic officers assaulted.

Mr Garcia also announced that the Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corporation had reached an agreement in principle under which the company would give up its lucrative tax breaks in return for access to new oil fields in Peru’s Amazon jungle. Mr Garcia said Occidental had agreed to invest SUS 267 million ($534 million) in exploration in new areas and described it as the biggest exploration

Production by Petroperu and the three Americanlinked companies is about 180,000 barrels a day, according to the State oil company. Petroperu produces 60,000 to 465,000 barrels.