Patrol cars just got more colourful

Police have further increased the number of orange and red patrol cars on the region's roads as part of a national roll out.

Senior Sergeant Greg Brown said Hawke's Bay Road Policing received a further three marked cars this week.

The "high impact" livery of the cars was designed as part of a national roll-out to increase motorist's awareness of police on roads, and encourage them to slow down.

Mr Brown said, "It's amazing what looks you get when you are driving around."

Police now have four of the new marked cars; two red and two orange.

The cars joined the five regular marked and two unmarked road police cars that are part of Hawke's Bay Road Policing, which patrols the region's State Highways and open roads.

The new high-visibility vehicles were trialled during the summer and are now being rolled out nationally as older vehicles become due for replacement.

Mr Brown said approximately two thirds of crashes happened on open roads.

"So far this year we have had 12 people die on our roads.

"These crashes show that they can occur anytime anywhere, and sometimes in the most unlikely locations.

"I make no excuse for deploying a range of tactics, as I want drivers to do the right thing all of the time and not just because they see a marked car coming towards them."