Transport Minister Simeon Brown announces crackdown on drunk- and drug-driving
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced a crackdown on drunk and drugged drivers, setting the police a target of performing 3.3 million roadside alcohol tests a year and 50,000 roadside drug tests a year.
The pledge was part of the Government’s $1.3 billion Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) 2024-2027, funded from the most recent Government Policy Statement on Land Transport, which tells NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) how to spend money raised by fuel taxes and road user charges.
Brown said the plan “lifted the alcohol breath testing target from 3 million tests to 3.3 million tests per year and introduces a new target for at least 65% of alcohol breath tests to be undertaken during the most high and extreme alcohol risk times”. Brown said he had worked with the police in designing the target.
He said New Zealand’s record at hitting breath test targets had been “inconsistent”.
“Over the past 10 years, there are only two in which police have conducted three million tests. Some years have delivered less than half of that number,” Brown said.
Ok.
Credit where credit is due.
Good that there will be a crack down on drink driving.
I’m more suspect about the validity of the drug testing if it’s just testing for use of cannabis rather than impairment.
But let’s put that to one side and salute this announcement.
What I’m critical about however is that Simeon is making this statement as an investment when he is quietly taking from the road budget and hoping you don’t notice…
…not only is the road budget being cut, but the Road Policing budget is also being cut…
…while the Police are getting cut…
Police to axe 170 roles in bid to save $53 million
Police are looking to shed 170 roles in a bid to save $53 million over four years to meet the government’s cost-cutting directive.
…so big song and dance on drunk/drug driving in the hope you don’t notice the road budget getting cut, the road policing budget getting cut and the Police getting cut.
That’s a lot of cuts to ignore.
There is a cost in borrowing $14billion and cutting public services so Landlords can get a $2.9billion loop tax hole, and we are seeing the reality of those cuts now.
The only winners here are National’s donors.
It’s surprising that they can find officers for traffic safety, it’s usually the first thing cut.
Ask yourself when was the last time you showed your driver’s licence to an officer?
It is 9 years since I was last stopped at a booze bus.Drug testing has been the norm for years in Australia so why did Labour say they could not find a suitable test .It was typical of their weak attitude to law and order.
They said that the roadside test is unreliable and this is backed up by Aussie data. A positive test needs to be repeated due to this unreliable test and a second positive test is followed by a blood test.
Because of the unreliable test at least 50% if drug impaired people are not caught and of the 50% that test positive twice somewhere around 40% are negative on the blood test.
Crunch the numbers and you realize that a smart lawyer would drive holes through the first court case and then where do we go.
It is more than 10 years since I was stopped at a booze bus but that is hardly surprising considering I am rarely out in my car during the booze hours
Back in the day 50% of the population were driving drunk every week.
Now most people don’t drive drunk or even under the influence. Young people today are all trained to have designated drivers or Uber.
The war on drunk driving has been won – hasn’t it?
Saw a story on stuff the other day how record numbers of drink drivers are escaping conviction and punishment .If we arrest more when will they get to court /3 YEARS TIME perhaps as the courts are full .Just on crime I think Mitchell will be resigning soon because his one year is nearly up and crime is increasing daily .He said he would resign after a year if crime rates did not lower .He has less cops than he started with and is expecting crime to go down .
They said that the roadside test is unreliable and this is backed up by Aussie data. A positive test needs to be repeated due to this unreliable test and a second positive test is followed by a blood test.
Because of the unreliable test at least 50% if drug impaired people are not caught and of the 50% that test positive twice somewhere around 40% are negative on the blood test.
Crunch the numbers and you realize that a smart lawyer would drive holes through the first court case and then where do we go.
It is more than 10 years since I was stopped at a booze bus but that is hardly surprising considering I am rarely out in my car during the booze hours
Funny how Brown is telling the police what to do and apparently providing funding.
I thought that Moronic Mitchell was the Police Minister.
Another example of the coalition of chaos.
Next it’ll be Winston setting the new history carriculum for pre schools.
Peeps driving on cell phones and drunk.
Just stop every ford ranger as they will be speeding ,passing on corners or yellow lines and probably swigging on the hip flask and will surely be entitled .
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