Holiday driving complaints spike

Waikato police are urging motorists travelling through the region to slow down after a spike in driver complaints.

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Phil Ruddell said they received 138 driving complaints in the 24 hours from 7am Saturday to 7am Sunday — more than double for a usual Saturday.

Only 22 were phoned in within Hamilton’s city boundary, with the majority, 116, coming from rural drivers on roads from Mercer in the north, Coromandel in the east and as far south as King Country.

Although pleased that motorists were using the *555 service, Ruddell was disappointed about the influx in dangerous driving.

He issued caution for the remaining long weekend, with another due next weekend. The city is also playing host to the HSBC Sevens next weekend which will see an influx of visitors.

“Some of this poor driving was as a result of deliberate actions by drivers such as driving while intoxicated or using cellphones while driving.

“Others [were] as a result of poor skills by inexperienced drivers, or people not checking the road worthiness of their vehicle. Some made the dangerous decision to drive while feeling fatigued.”

As a result of the driving complaints, police arrested disqualified or drunk drivers, issued infringement notices for offences and gave advice.

“All of the motorists police received complaints about placed themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk, something which is avoidable and unacceptable.”

There were 19 crashes reported in the Waikato district over the same time period with most resulting in no or minor injuries.

“We want to thank members of the public who rang us for their vigilance — these people could potentially have saved lives,” he said.