As the warmer weather settles in and the holiday season approaches, Southern 
District Police are ramping up road safety activities to keep everyone on our 
roads safe.

Unfortunately, too many drivers are putting road-users at risk by driving 
unsafely as reported across Otago Coastal, Central Otago and Southland 
areas.

Southern District Police are putting in a lot of hard work and planning to 
ensure these drivers are held to account.

As a Road to Zero strategy partner, we are committed to reducing death and 
injury on our roads.

We work alongside our road safety partners Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of 
Transport and other road safety groups to keep you safe on and around our 
roads.

“Our officers target times and locations we know are high risk and 
undertake prevention and enforcement activities accordingly,” District Road 
Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Gregory Ballantyne says.

“These include speed enforcement, breath alcohol testing, and operations 
around people using cell phones while driving as well as checking that 
everyone is wearing a seatbelt.

"The open roads are a constant focus for speed enforcement, and this weekend 
was no different, starting on Friday after a motorbike was clocked travelling 
132kmh on one of the Southern highways, near Athol," Senior Sergeant 
Ballantyne says.

A small change in speed makes a big difference to whether you walk away or 
are carried away from a crash.

Carelessness, speed, and impairment played a part in a number of crashes 
Police attended over the weekend, and a number of drivers were apprehended as 
a result.

On Saturday Police received two separate reports of vehicles driving on the 
wrong side of the road.

Fortunately, staff were able to stop both vehicles safely and avoid further 
risk to both drivers and other road-users.

Alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in about a third of all fatal crashes, and 
almost a third of people who die on our roads aren’t wearing a seatbelt.

“An increase in socialising at this time of the year is natural, but 
drinking and driving simply cannot be mixed - if you’re going to drink, 
plan your ride home before heading out so that you are not driving, says 
Senior Sergeant Ballantyne.

“We all know the devastation a road crash causes, not only to our loved 
ones, but also the attending emergency services and communities.

"We’ve lost around 275 people on our roads already this year.

"That’s 275 families struggling with the tragedy of losing a loved one.

“As Police officers we never lose sight of the real human loss and grieving 
behind every death on the road.

"It’s unacceptable and we will be doing everything we can to prevent 
further deaths from occurring.

“We want to ensure everyone gets to their holiday destinations and home 
again safely.

“You can expect our officers to be out in force anytime, anywhere to deter 
unsafe driving behaviour.

“But, Police can’t do this alone. Road safety is everyone’s 
responsibility, we all have a role to play in keeping our roads safe.

"Don’t drink and drive, don’t drive distracted, which means put your 
phone away, don’t speed, and always wear your seatbelt."

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