Hundreds of cars impounded

By Chris Daniels

transport reporter

More than 900 vehicles have been collecting dust in tow yards across New Zealand since police began impounding them from illegal drivers a month ago.

The Minister of Transport, Maurice Williamson, has announced that 934 vehicles have been seized since the tough new traffic laws came into force on May 3.

Under the new laws, a vehicle must be impounded by police, regardless of who owns it, if the driver is disqualified or has never had a licence and has already been warned.

The vehicle is impounded for 28 days and the owner must pay the storage and towing charges.

Tow companies in South Auckland have been the busiest under the new regime, with 200 vehicles impounded in the past month.

Auckland City police have impounded 89 and North Shore-Waitakere police, 105.

Inspector Ian James of Police National Headquarters said the number of reoffenders had dropped since the new rules were introduced.

Normally 8000 people are convicted on 11,000 charges of driving while disqualified each year, but there have been only two such cases in the past five weeks.

Inspector George Fraser, of Auckland police, said most of the impounded vehicles had disqualified drivers at the wheel.

Nationwide, 265 drivers have had their licences suspended in the first month of the new laws, 95 of them in the Auckland region. If police catch anyone driving more than 50 km/h over the speed limit or with twice the legal blood-alcohol limit, or if a blood sample is refused, they must suspend the driver's licence for 28 days.