Police happy with results of blitz

Press, 5 January 1987, Page 6

Police happy with results of blitz

PA Wellington The combined Ministry of Transport and police drink-drive blitz ends this morning after many districts finished their combined random stopping last evening. Up to midnight on Saturday 152,065 motorists had been stopped since the blitz began on December 6. ;

Of those, 4529 had breath screening tests and 1751 were required to undertake evidential breath tests. Blood samples had been taken from 464 drivers and 79 had been arrested, i

“It’s getting better all the time ... we are down to 2.9 per cent of those stopped requiring breath tests,” Assistant Chief Traffic Superintendent Henry Gore said last evening. In November last year the M.O.T. reported that 4.4 per cent of drivers stopped at random checkpoints required . breath tests.-

In Saturday’s blitz 9356 drivers were stopped throughout New Zealand and 218 required breath screening tests. Of that

number evidential breath tests were required by 72 motorists and blood samples were taken from 16. One driver was arrested on Saturday. A large-scale operation in Arrowtown had the, combined M.O.T. and police blitz stopping more than 2000 drivers on Saturday with only 61 requiring breath screening tests.

But there were also incidents of sheer stupidity, Mr Gore said. Hamilton traffic officers reported stopping a motorcyclist on Saturday. “The rider and his pillion passenger weren’t wearing crash helmets ... and the female passenger was lying on her. back on the tank with her legs wrapped round the rider,” Mr Gore said.

A Nelson driver tried to drive past a hay paddock on fire but in the dense smoke he lost control of the car, which rolled several times before stopping in a ditch. The driver was not hurt. “That sort of behaviour shows that when people do stupid things they get •into trouble,” Mr Gore said.