Be aware and take care on our roads

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 - 4:33pm

Central

As Easter holidays and Anzac Day approaches and we move into colder months Central District Police want to remind motorists to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy before they embark on a road trip.

"Like you, your vehicle's roadworthiness is crucial in getting you to and from places safely. It's a good idea to check out your tyre tread as we get closer to winter because the road can turn into a slippery surface from rain and black ice. If your tyres don't have enough tread, braking in an emergency could turn into a huge problem," says Central District Road Policing Manager Inspector Dave White.

Legally, 1.5mm is the legal minimum tread depth – any less and you won’t pass a Warrant of Fitness inspection. However, grip in wet conditions reduces significantly if tread depth gets below 3mm, so a deeper tread means a safer driver.

The speeding threshold will be reduced beyond the official Easter holiday period starting at 4pm Thursday 17 April 2014 and ending at 6am Monday 28 April 2014.

For the duration of this period, the speed limit tolerance is 4km for all permanent posted speed limits. This means that Police will take action where vehicle speeds are checked at more than 4km above the posted speed limit.

While the fatal five – speed, seatbelts, alcohol, distraction, and fatigue are a major focus for Police, driver distraction will also be targeted.

"Distraction can be a real problem and is one of many factors that could lead to a serious crash.

"Driving and talking on your hand-held mobile phone is not multi-tasking; it's simply dangerous and distracting. A moment's lapse in your attention on the road could lead to disaster."

The penalties for driving and talking on a hand-held mobile phone are an $80 fine and 20 demerit points.

"Responsible drivers tell us they don't want to share the roads with drunk, drugged, speeding, or dangerous drivers. We'll be out in numbers and doing all we can over the extended break to get those drivers who put others at risk off the roads.

"We all want to get to our destinations on time but Police want you to get their safely. Take five minutes to inspect your vehicle and check that everything is safe and in a good condition, and be aware out there on our roads," says Inspector White.

Download a copy of the 'check your vehicle flyer' via the below link.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/docs/check-your-car-flyer.pdf

Planning your journey and traffic updates

If you want to know about potential delays before you hit the state highways visit onthemove.govt.nz or call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS for either the latest highway conditions or to report incidents or hazards on the state highways.

Report a bad driver

You can report dangerous or erratic driving by dialing *555 FREE from your mobile phone.

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