Sober passengers risk their lives

Western Bay booze bus officers are fed up with handing drink-drivers' keys over to sober passengers taking careless risks with their lives.
Traffic Alcohol Group (TAG) officer Constable Steve Murray said among the 21 drink-drivers caught by the team on a recent weekend, there were 31 passengers putting their lives in the hands of a drink-driver, many who were sober and legallyallowed to drive. "We're always getting drink-drivers with sober passengers and we think 'what the heck's in their mind?'.
"It's bordering on stupidity," he said.
Mr Murray said he was shocked at the number of times police were able to hand over the keys to a drink-driver's sober passenger, allowing them to get their friends home safely.
"The number of people we've found who are sober or just under the limit and yet they're hopping into cars with people who are blowing as high as 900(mcg).
"That's the thing, we virtually always find someone who's sober and we can release the keys to them.
"I'm kind of just blown away and astounded by it.
"People are just being so careless with their lives, and not planning or thinking about how they're going to get home."
Mr Murray was adamant the practice was not restricted to teenagers and drivers in their 20s.
He said the sober passengers often gave the excuse, "Oh, I didn't think they were that drunk," when explaining why they got into a car with a drink-driver.
"And they [the drivers] blow 800mcg and you think, 'they've got to be kidding'.
"Just looking at them you can tell they're really drunk." Mr Murray said a lot of the passengers also told him, "Oh my friend's taking me home."
"If they're driving them home drunk then they've got to seriously rethink the friendship," he said.
Mr Murray said he hammered this point home with a male drink-driver he had stopped at a checkpoint.
The man broke down in tears when he realised the risk he was exposing himself and his friends to.
Each month the TAG team also stops drink-drivers with children in the vehicle.
In these cases the drink-driver's details are referred to the police family violence co-ordinator.
"Every couple of weekends we might get one or two," Mr Murray said.
Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, in charge of road policing in the Western Bay, said while deciding not to drink and drive was a no-brainer, Western Bay police had a significant concern over the number of passengers deciding to travel with drink-drivers.
"From a police perspective it's very frustrating to find intoxicated drivers driving around with perfectly sober passengers who are legally entitled to drive," he said.
New Zealand Transport Agency statistics show that alcohol was a factor in 32 per cent of fatal or serious crashes and 23 per cent of those resulting in serious injury in the Western Bay between 2005 and 2009.
"A driver over the adult limit is 16 per cent more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a sober driver, and it just gives you an indication of how many people are at risk," Mr Campion said.
Drink-drivers and passengers
March 31 to 2 April: 12 drink-drivers carrying 13 passengers.
April 7 to April 8: 6 drink-drivers carrying 3 passengers.
April 20 to 23: 20 drink-drivers carrying 17 passengers.
April 29 to 30: 11 drink-drivers carrying 23 passengers.
May 12 to 15: 21 drink-drivers carrying 31 passengers.