No excuses for speeding this Queens Birthday weekend

Police are reminding drivers to take extra care and make this holiday weekend one to remember for all the right reasons.

Easter weekend 2012 was the first holiday weekend in living memory where there were no fatalities and "We would love to think we could have another holiday weekend that does not end in tragedy for someone and we have shown that it is possible," said Acting national Road Policing Manager - Rob Morgan.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion says that "When you get behind the wheel you need to take responsibility for yourself and your passengers by making safe and sensible decisions. Road safety is everyone's responsibility and Police will be out doing their part too".

"Police do not want to spend another holiday weekend dealing with carnage on the roads so are urging drivers to take special care on Western Bay of Plenty roads over Queens Birthday weekend."

Drivers can expect to experience heavier than normal traffic flows over the holiday weekend and S/Sgt Ian Campion says drivers need to reduce speeds, respect following distances, drive to the conditions and be patient taking extra care during overtaking manoeuvres. Remember the speed limit is just that - the limit. During wet conditions it's often unsafe to travel at the speed limit so knock 20km/h off and increase following distances to a minimum of 4 seconds Ian says.

On a dry road at 100km/h it takes 98 metres to stop under ideal conditions, that’s almost the length of a football field, but stopping distances are almost doubled when the road is wet and there is also a higher likelihood of losing control.

Holiday driving requires special care, consideration, concentration and planning. It’s important that drivers give themselves plenty of time to make their journey safely, take regular breaks and ensure everyone in the vehicle is wearing their seat belt or properly restrained in an approved child restraint. Slower drivers need to be considerate and pull over to let faster traffic pass.

Police will be out in force over the holiday period and every driver caught more than 4km/h over the speed limit will be stopped, breath tested and may be issued with an infringement notice to help deter unsafe driving which puts lives at risk.

Drivers exceeding any posted speed limit by more than 40km/h will have their drivers licence suspended immediately for a period of 28 days and all drivers can expect to be breath tested anytime anywhere.

The key messages from Police this holiday weekend are:

Ensure everyone in the vehicle is wearing their seat belt or properly restrained in an approved child restraint. There have been a number of recent fatalities where passengers were not wearing seat belts. It is a no-brainer - the two seconds that it takes to fasten your seatbelt may just be all it takes to give you a second chance at life.

Fatigue - holiday weekends present real dangers around fatigue as drivers are often driving after working and as the timeframes are short, do not take proper breaks or get enough sleep.

Slow drivers can cause frustration and this can give rise to risky behaviour from other motorists. While it is not an offence to drive slowly, drivers who impede the flow of traffic or do not pull over to let others pass will be ticketed.
Police want to make sure that every journey is a safe journey for everyone. We will be working with our road safety partners, NZTA, MoT, ACC and AA to make sure the each person on the roads this weekend is as safe as they can possibly be.
All drivers detected travelling at more than 4km/h over the speed limit during Queen's Birthday weekend can expect to be ticketed - no excuses.
Road safety is everyone's responsibility and it is time we all took this seriously.
Police will be out in force over the weekend - if you break the law you can expect to be caught.
The most effective tool police have in the fight to keep you and your family alive is enforcement of the road rules.
If you make the decision to break the road rules, you lose your right to complain about the consequences. The consequences of getting a fine, losing your licence or even your car may seem harsh but if it changes your driving habits, consider it worth it - we do.

Please drive to survive this Queens Birthday Weekend.