Good on Kaitaia. More than 400 cars stopped and not one drunk driver.
The only link to drink-driving in the region was a logging truck driver who would have been passing through Kaitaia en route to Te Kao, had he not (allegedly) exceeded the drink-drive limit in Whangarei.
Kaitaia has copped a
bad rap in the past when it comes to drinking and driving.
The popular theory was that, as New Zealand and Northland's northernmost town, things were a bit different up there, and the whole not-drink-driving thing was a little slow to catch on. Plus throw in the lack of public transport and taxis up north, and there was still a bit of a temptation to risk a few drinks, and the drive home.
Either the message is getting through, which must delight Northland's police road safety team, or the Kaitaia bush telegraph was working at full capacity on Friday and Saturday night, and the locals all knew where the checkpoints were.
Hopefully it's the former, as more than 400 drivers and not one over the limit is a fantastic result.
Certainly, back in the 1980s, we were a little slow to catch on to the whole drink-driving thing in Whangarei as well.
Hundreds of social cricket players would hang around Kensington Park on a Wednesday night, clutching quart bottles and telling lies after already downing a few beers during the game.
The 80s crackdown on drink-driving was the catalyst for several social changes.
When police decided it was time to get tough on boozed drivers, it wasn't just beer sales at Kensington Park's rotunda that dropped - the number of cricket teams dwindled as well.
And touch rugby - a game not usually played while drinking beer - blossomed.
It's a long time between drinks, but maybe, after 30 years or so, drink-driving has finally become unacceptable "up north".
Tell us what you think: editor@northernadvocate.co.nz.
