A speeding car injured a pedestrian and slammed into another vehicle at a South Auckland intersection. Photo / Alya Ikof
A speeding car injured a pedestrian and slammed into another vehicle at a South Auckland intersection. Photo / Alya Ikof
Annual fleeing driver incidents across New Zealand have more than doubled in the past decade, seriously injured more than 400 people and claimed 77 lives, latest road policing figures reveal.
There were almost 5000 incidents of drivers fleeing police last year alone – an all-time high. Of those, 550 ended in a crash, 35 resulted in someone being seriously injured and two people died.
It's a stark contrast to 10 years ago when there were about 2300 fleeing driver incidents and 349 ended in a crash.
Already this year between January and March 1339 incidents have been recorded, and there have been dozens that are yet to make it to the police database.
On Monday a passenger in a speeding car fleeing police that crashed in Manurewa, South Auckland was seriously injured, and a pedestrian.
A week earlier, seven young teenagers aged between 13 and 14 were arrested after a high-speed police chase through parts of Auckland.
Last month an armed man allegedly in a stolen vehicle attempted to flee police, which resulted in a lengthy chase across central Auckland, closing Great South Rd for hours.
A group of youths were chased by police in a high-speed pursuit through West Auckland. Photo / Hayden Woodward
The man allegedly held two members of the public at gunpoint as he attempted to use their cars to flee police. He was eventually shot by police and arrested and charged.
These are just a handful of recent high-profile incidents demonstrating a problem that is rife across New Zealand.
Police are well aware of the issue and have been taking steps to understand the motivations for why people choose to flee.
In May, police released research on the people who cause fleeing driver incidents.
It found most drivers who flee police have extensive criminal histories and the majority are unlicensed. They were trying to avoid punishment for outstanding offending, it said.
"Young drivers across all datasets were more likely to be in a stolen vehicle," the report stated.
It claimed fleeing driver incidents have increased but that was also because of better recording.
Police also point out that about one million more vehicles are on New Zealand roads compared with a decade ago.
A stolen car that fleed police crashed in Henderson, West Auckland, in November 2020. Photo / Supplied
But fleeing driver incidents have been steadily climbing every year since 2010, increasingly endangering those involved and innocent members of the public.
Between 2010 and March this year, 77 people lost their lives in a fleeing driver incident and more than 400 incidents involved a serious injury.
Police said now they only chase fleeing drivers if there was a threat before the start of the pursuit and if there was a need for the driver to be apprehended immediately.
"Where there is deemed to be no immediate need to stop a driver who has failed to stop or remain stopped for police, a follow-up investigation is preferred over the commencement of a pursuit," police told the Herald.
"We need to ensure our response to drivers who choose to flee is appropriate and proportionate."
A huge police presence on Great South Rd after a shooting incident. Photo / Supplied
A recruit driver training programme has been updated to reflect the revised policy, a recent policy report said.
And police have acknowledged the times where staff can get it wrong.
An Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) investigation released today found a pursuit that preceded a fatal crash in Kaitaia last year was unjustified.
The driver and three passengers were injured, and one passenger died.
"Police should not have started pursuing a Mazda near Kaitaia in the early hours of 10 October 2020," the report said.
"The authority found that the immediate risks of pursuing the likely-intoxicated driver were greater than those created by allowing them to drive away in the circumstances."
Judge Colin Doherty said the pursuing officer's risk assessment was "flawed".
"It was safer to let the vehicle go and make follow-up inquiries based on the Mazda's registration details," he said.
The report said there were "several critical points" at which police should have abandoned the chase, such as when the officer had to travel at high speed along the main road to keep up with the Mazda.
Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill accepted staff should not have pursued the vehicle.
Northland Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill. Photo / File
Since August 2019, police have released quarterly reports on their progress to implement a Fleeing Driver Action Plan.
Among the changes include updates to training and reporting fleeing driver incidents.
All fleeing driver offences have been categorised as "critical" for investigation to identify the driver and hold them to account, the June report said.
The online training package for fleeing drivers was released in December 2020 to support the introduction of the revised policy. To date, 98 per cent of staff required to complete this training had done so.
