Blitz nets 2000 drivers
Seventy drivers a day aren’t making it click on Waikato roads.
One of those drivers was a woman travelling with an unrestrained toddler while a child’s car seat was in the boot. It was one of the most frustrating encounters officers faced during a month-long blitz on drivers flouting the seatbelt and cellphone driving laws on the region’s roads.
Just over 2000 drivers were nabbed for not wearing a seatbelt, or not having a child in a proper restraint in a vehicle during the May crackdown.
Of the unbuckled drivers, 1200 were in the Hamilton city area.
On average 70 people a day were caught not wearing a seatbelt, Waikato road policing manager Inspector Marcus Lynam said.
‘‘I was really surprised with the number of people not wearing restraints because it’s really simple, and it only takes a second to put a seatbelt on. It’s a no-brainer and will save your life,’’ he said.
A third of people killed in road crashes were not buckled in. Half would have survived if they had been, he said.
World Health Organisation statistics show that child restraints reduce the likelihood of a fatality in a crash by up to 70 per cent.
‘‘There’s no excuses really for not having a child restrained properly.
‘‘For children found unrestrained where appropriate we gave out compliance – where parents were given a chance to purchase a car seat if they didn’t have one or get one fitted.’’
No one under 15 years old has been killed on the Waikato roads this year. Last year one youngster died.
During the blitz another 1000 drivers were issued $80 fines for using a cellphone while driving – 500 of them in the Hamilton city area.
On average 24 drivers a day were found talking or texting.
When stopped, some drivers told police: ‘‘I wasn’t texting, I was just checking Facebook,’’ Lynam said.
‘‘I wasn’t surprised . . . that is a really challenging road safety issue that we as a society need to take more responsibility over.’’
Among the worst were commercial drivers, such as courier operators, using cellphones while driving.
‘‘If a commercial operator needs to use a cellphone, then the companies should be investing in hands-free equipment.’’
In another instance police came across a university student munching a bowl of cereal on her way to class.
She was given a warning for careless driving and offered a bit of advice.
So far this year 22 people have died in the Waikato police district.