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?
Martyn – Well spotted…Still crackdown on drunk drivers…especially the repeat ones.
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
Typical Labour they didn’t know what to do about anything.Their legacy is vandalism.
You keep spelling National wrong
Spelling is not this trolls strong point, he gets left mixed up with right as well.
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 .
Cracking down on drunk drivers can only be good.
Forcing people onto public transport according to the Greens can only be good.
I thought people were concerned about public safety? Or is that only around certain issues?
Maybe thats browns real agenda now he has doubled bus prices his rich mates are losing custom and money and will need a government top up or close down .
Trying to comprehend any of Bob’s bullshit is difficult.
For you to comprehend NSC is as they say “a given.”
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 .
The drivers of Ford Rangers are predominantly trades people,the salt of the earth,good honest hard workers, not parasites reliant on the state.
Fuck public safety! It’s another covert means of a Professor Milgram-esque societal control mechanism dropped on us by an equally controlling psychopathy that/who want your money.
If you can drive a bit pissed then get more drunk, that’ll slow you down. If you can’t drive stoned then it was really good weed.
If you drive while you’re too fucked up then the logic behind selective breeding will come into play. I.E. Crash. Bang. Tinkle. Funeral.
The real and actual reason behind the psycho governmental implementation of the hysteria of driving while fucked up is societal control. It has fucking zero to do with us getting pissed then crashing into someone because the [The Thems] clearly don’t care about us. They just want your money as is clearly evident. Here’s what you do, as I’ve done. If you go out of an evening of drinking and / or drug taking, then take a fucking sleeping bag. If you’re one of the sops who whine and moan about those who go out drinking then driving then stop moaning and whining because you’re too boring to party with so you won’t go home without your underwear and have the taste of someone else on your lips.
Semen brown is a little mouse-man grasping at any straw to justify his outrageous public service salary. Don’t be fooled. To get drunk and crash and ruin lives is human. To use [that] to capitalise politically thus financially is another thing all together. What is that? Evil? Cunty?
Nasty? Agricultural ? Zoological? Marsupial? Don’t be fooled! This shit, all of it, is about about bank balances.