Check your speed warn Waikato Police after close calls

Just a day into the Police’s “Check Your Speed” summer driving campaign, a number of drivers have come to the realisation that means at all times and on all roads with the occupants of one car cheating death thanks to their seatbelts.

District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Freda Grace, said as part of the nationwide campaign her staff are running a number of initiatives designed to keep drivers and other road users safe.

“A part of this was an operation run in the North Waikato between 1-8am yesterday which saw 22 speeding motorists stopped for excessive speed.

One motorists lost his licence and faces a charge of dangerous driving after he was stopped travelling in a section of road-works at Rangiriri subject to a temporary speed restriction of 70km/h travelling at 136km/h at 4am.

“The man told the officer he was in a hurry to get home.

What’s particularly concerning is that while many of us are asleep at this time it’s also a busy period for roading contractors as they seek to get work done during low traffic volumes to minimise disruptions to the public and this driver placed himself and road workers at serious risk.”

Meanwhile around the same time near Ngaruawahia Mrs Grace said another speeding motorist was stopped travelling at 135km/h on a 100km/h stretch of River Rd.

“This driver was most surprised at being stopped, telling the officer he didn’t think we had staff out at that time of day, our message here is check your speed because we can be anywhere at any time.”

Mrs Grace said of all the speed related incidents the most miraculous was the survival of three people involved in a crash near Otorohanga yesterday.

“Emergency services were called to the scene of a single vehicle crash on a 100km/h stretch of Rangiatea Rd near Otorohanga about 6pm.“The crash involved a 37-year-old female driver losing control of a late model Ford Falcon that left the road and crashed into a strainer post.

“The car has then flipped into the air and rolled however the driver and her two passengers aged 39 and 13-years-old escaped being thrown from the vehicle and potentially seriously injured because they were wearing their seatbelts.

The car came to a rest on the front lawn of a family’s home.”

Mrs Grace said the three occupants escape was extremely fortunate and highlighted why Police are urging drivers to check their speed.

“Yesterday we launched our “Check Your Speed” summer driving campaign.

From Tuesday 01 December the speed threshold reduces to 4km/hr over any posted speed limit and will continue through until the end of January.

“But we can achieve far more by not relying on enforcement alone.

If every motorist thinks of the consequences and checks their speed we will have safer drivers and safer families on our roads.”

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