Speedsters, you’ve been warned

SOUTHERN police are accelerating their speed enforcement efforts as part of their move to reduce New Zealand’s road toll.

Southern district road policing manager Inspector James Ure said police were leaning into speed enforcement, including infractions where drivers were travelling just above the posted limit.

It was not about revenue gathering but it was about lowering the road toll, Insp Ure said.

In recent months there had been several fatal crashes in the South.

Staff were getting weary of attending them and were highly motivated to bring the toll down, Insp Ure said.

Police were working closely with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as part of the Road to Zero campaign, which aims to cut deaths and serious injuries 40% by 2030.

‘‘We we have certainly given our undertaking to provide meaningful service to safer roads and a road to zero,’’ Insp Ure said.

Waka Kotahi was focused on a safe systems approach, and police were contributing to enforcement as part of their commitment to the programme.

Southern police were looking looking to increase their presence on roads and maintain a strong element of surprise, and would be ‘‘looking very closely’’ at those who were driving up to 10kmh above the speed limit.

The science showed that a 1kmh reduction in average speeds across the board equated to a reduction in fatal crashes of 4%6%, Insp Ure said, while a reduction from 110kmh to 100kmh would reduce the number of fatal crashes by about 50%.

Police were taking an integrated approach to speed enforcement.

Across Southern district, there were about 600 uniformed staff and all were expected to play a role in road safety.

The posted limit was the limit, and police were aiming to be more mindful of stopping and speaking to drivers who were exceeding it.

Police tried to ensure a consistent approach and the public should expect enforcement as a result of being apprehended, Insp Ure said.

It was known that seeing speeders pulled over on the side of the road was helpful in educating the public about the risks of excess speed.

Ultimately the aim of police was to ensure that people got home safely, Insp Ure said.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Eye on the road . . . Southern district road policing manager Inspector James Ure, of Dunedin, is spreading the message that police staff will be paying attention to even small speeding infractions in order to save lives.