A police traffic enforcement check in Rarotonga over weekend found that most drivers were sober, leading to a crash-free weekend.

More than 300 vehicles were stopped last Friday and into Saturday morning as part of a police traffic enforcement check.

Cook Islands Police media and strategic advisor Trevor Pitt said the vehicles were stopped at 14 locations around Rarotonga.

“All drivers were sober with many telling Police that they were undertaking sober-driver duties for the night,” he said.

Pitt also said the crash-free weekend indicated an improvement in curbing drink driving.

This has given police hope that road incidents can be minimised “or at least kept below last year’s figures”.

“Police presence on the roads appears to be making the difference as road checkpoints have demonstrated more awareness about driver responsibility.”

It was previously reported that 34 crashes occurred last month, compared to 28 in May.

In 2023, there were 239 motor vehicle crashes exceeding the 2022, 2021 and 2020 records. The highest annual figure of crashes on Rarotonga over recent years was 279 in 2018.

Police responded to mostly minor incidents, including excessive noise, domestic arguments, drinking in public, suspected gunshots, and a suspicious person loitering.

“A resident reported a damaged window on Sunday and suspected it was caused by a stray bullet. That’s because gunshots had been heard in the area,” Pitt said, adding “A nearby grower had used his gun to clear pests but not in the direction of the unit affected.”

“Others are said to have been shooting bats in the area. Nothing conclusive, however.”