Operation Hannah: Police Check Vehicle Safety At Ski Fields
Police will be at ski fields this week making sure
vehicles and drivers are
safe to be on the
roads.
“We want everyone to be able to experience
and enjoy New Zealand’s great
outdoors,” says
Inspector Mike Brooklands, Police National
Manager
Commercial Vehicle Safety Team.
“More
importantly, we want everyone travelling on our roads to do
so
safely.”
Operation Hannah is a multi-site
operation targeting vehicles in and around
ski fields
including passenger services vehicles (PSVs).
It
focuses on improving both vehicle safety and work-related
road safety
through road safety prevention, compliance
and education.
Eleven-year-old Hannah Francis was
tragically killed when a bus carrying 31
passengers
crashed near Tūroa ski field in 2018. Her death was in
every way
avoidable.
NZ Police has permission from
the Francis and Bruton families to undertake
this
operation in Hannah’s name.
“Operating a vehicle
or PSV in a ski field environment is unique,”
says
Inspector Brooklands.
“The roads to and from
the ski fields are mountainous, are more likely to
have
fewer road safety infrastructures than our state highways,
and more
likely to have ice and snow on the road surface.
These combined conditions
place greater strain on a
vehicle and driver ability.”
Police will be
targeting PSVs to make sure they are in a safe
condition,
compliant, and being operated in a safe
manner.
Police will also be checking drivers for signs
of fatigue and impairment and
making sure everyone is
wearing a seatbelt.
From Tuesday 27 July through to
Sunday 1 August, NZ Police in partnership
with Waka
Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) will be at five major ski
fields:
- Mt Ruapehu – Whakapapa
- Mt Ruapehu –
Tūroa
- Mt Hutt
- Coronet Peak
- The
Remarkables
“We will be highly visible on the roads
leading to and from the ski fields.
We want to make sure
everyone travelling to enjoy the snow can do so
safely
from when they leave home until they
return.”
“Police is committed to reducing the
number of deaths and serious injuries
on our roads and
operations like this one will increase vehicle safety
and
save lives,” says Inspector
Brooklands.