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‘No amount of public awareness, or penalties, is impacting on driver attitudes’: Police

Tuesday 4 April 2023 | Written by Al Williams | Published in Crime, National

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‘No amount of  public awareness,  or penalties, is  impacting on driver  attitudes’: Police
“No amount of public awareness, or penalties, is impacting on driver attitudes on our roads," Police say. POLICE MEDIA/ 23010819

A 59-year-old motorist was among those nabbed for drink driving on Rarotonga over the weekend.

Police said the motorist was among several stopped at a checkpoint in Avarua, and blew 450 micrograms per litre of breath. 

Another motorist, aged 43, was also stopped at the checkpoint and blew 520 mcg while yet another motorist was forbidden from driving after just scraping through with a 250 mcg reading.

Two crashes were reported, the first at 12.10pm on Saturday and then a second at 9.13pm on Saturday. 

Police said the latter crash was suspected to be alcohol-related and they are awaiting blood test results. 

In the early hours of Sunday, Police confiscated motorcycles from two riders who both admitted having been consuming alcohol.

They were stopped at 1.50am and 2.30am. 

“You only need to be deemed by Police to be a risk after having consumed alcohol, to be forbidden from driving,” Police spokesman Trevor Pitt said.  

“Rarotonga’s road incidents continue to climb to pre-Covid levels, as driver behaviour remains locked in its familiar pattern of casualness, and carelessness.

“No amount of public awareness, or penalties, is impacting on driver attitudes on our roads, as has been evident by Police data and reported incidents.

“This weekend has been no exception.”  

Comments

Paul Montbatten on 06/04/2023

Perhaps impounding the vehicle for 7 days would be a deterrent. Maybe this is already the case. In some provinces in Canada the vehicle is impounded, the driver fined and their licence is taken away for a period of time. On the 2nd offence, the vehicle is forfeited to the crown and sold at public auction.