Motorist caught driving more than twice speed limit in Palmerston North

Police are reporting multiple instances of concerning speeds on roads in the Manawatū over the past two days.

They say one driver was caught travelling at more than twice the speed limit in central Palmerston North and another was clocked at 132km/h heading into Ashhurst in rainy conditions.

Police outlined two instances where drivers were caught 44km/h over the speed limit and another where alcohol testing revealed a person driving while more than three times the legal limit.

Sergeant Ryan Harrison urged drivers to slow down and said police witnessed the consequences of crashes from speeding every day.

“It’s frustrating. We stop people for speeding and drivers are cross about being caught.

“But we see the crashes these speeds can cause and nobody wants to be part of that.”

Harrison said a slight reduction in drivers’ overall speed could have a significant impact on the number of deaths on the country’s roads.

“If we lower our speed on the roads from an average of 102km/h to 98km/h then we estimate it would save 52 lives every year.

“It’s simple. Slow down. Please.”

Illegal driving activity caught by police recently:

• A drunk driver blew 854mcg of alcohol per litre of breath, which is more than three times the legal limit
• Another was caught doing 110km/h along Fitzherbert Ave (50km zone)
• A driver did 124km/h in the 80km zone near Bunnythorpe
• One driver was caught doing 133km/h leaving the Sanson township
• Another went 132km/h heading into Ashhurst in the rain
• A driver was detected doing 144km/h on the Te Ahu a Turanga Highway near Woodville.

– RNZ