By ELEANOR BLACK
HAMILTON - Three regions have been identified this summer as high risk for drink-drivers on back roads.
Police in the Waikato and the central North Island have already stepped up their efforts to catch rural drink-drivers and Northland police will take a more intensive approach in the New Year, after an operation in which one in three drivers were found to be over the limit.
Breath-testing on the side of the road will be increased over the holiday season and people all over the country can expect to see a lot of the new highway patrols, which aim to reduce drink-driving, increase the use of seatbelts and cut motorists' speed.
The police national road safety manager, Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, said 25,000 drink-drivers were processed by the court system each year, a drop of about 4000 in the past five years.
In the past three years the number of drink-drivers stopped by police had fallen 50 per cent.
"There is a general public abhorrence to drink-driving," said Mr Fitzgerald. "We know the programmes are working."
Higher fines and the roadside seizure of vehicles were a strong deterrent, he said.
Rural publicans the Herald contacted said they were also taking steps to keep their clients safe.
At the Riverside Tavern in Te Teko, 28km southwest of Whakatane, Katarina Powell keeps a close eye on patrons. When she thinks they have reached their limit, she offers to drive them home.
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