In what Police are describing as a “disappointing weekend on the roads”, more than 65 people were caught driving drunk across Counties Manukau in the lead up to Christmas.

As part of Operation Pop Up, running from 15-24 December, Police were out in force across the district in a bid to deter drivers from drinking and driving this festive season.

But Counties Manukau Road Policing Manager, Inspector Tony Wakelin, says the message isn’t getting through.

“Our staff breath tested more than 15,000 on the weekend and we had 67 people over the legal alcohol limit – that’s 67 too many,” he says.

“For every 1000 drivers stopped, four were breaking the law and putting other road users at risk.”

The legal alcohol limit for a fully licensed driver over 20 is 250mcg per litre of breath. It’s a zero limit for under 20.

Police also impounded four vehicles and issued two infringements for dangerous driving, and a further five people had their licences suspended.

Inspector Wakelin says Police want to ensure a safe and happy Christmas for everyone this year with the aim of making sure people get home safely.

He says Police will continue to focus not only on main roads but will run ‘pop-up’ style checkpoints on smaller, rural and urban roads and will be out in force morning, noon and night to breath test drivers.

“Alcohol can severely impair driving performance and increase the risk of crash involvement.

“We do not want to catch people drink driving – we want to prevent them doing so.

“If you are going to be enjoying a few drinks, make sure you have a plan to get home or a sober driver to assist.

“We want you to get to your destination, so slow down, drive to the speed limit and drive to the conditions. And know that you can expect to see Police out on the roads – anytime and anywhere.”

© Scoop Media