Speed tolerance low over long weekend

Anyone who drives more than 4km/h over the posted speed limit this weekend is liable to be ticketed. Photo / Alan Gibson

Speed limit tolerances will be lowered this Labour Weekend in a bid to avoid fatalities as traffic volumes increase.

The official holiday period runs from 4pm Friday until 6am on Tuesday. During that time anyone who drives more than 4km/h over the posted speed limit is liable to be ticketed.

Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said they would be increasing the visibility of Canterbury Police across the district during Labour Weekend.

"Regardless of the cause speed can be the difference between walking away from a crash or living with lifelong injuries or a fatality in the family.

"In Canterbury our approach to road safety is always 'anywhere, anytime' and every driver stopped will be breath tested this weekend.

"Police will also be enforcing use of appropriate restraints as nearly a third of all fatalities in Canterbury could have been prevented if the driver or passenger had been wearing their seatbelt."

Motorists were also advised to share the driving and take regular breaks on long journeys, Mr Stewart said.

"Tired, distracted drivers put not only themselves but others on the road at risk."

In the Canterbury district between 2009 and 2013 there were two fatal crashes, 13 serious injury crashes, 42 minor injury crashes and 89 non-injury crashes recorded over the Labour Weekend period.

Motorists were also encouraged to report any non-life threatening road incidents such as erratic driving, non-injury crashes, traffic congestion, breakdowns and obstructions to the highway by calling *555 from their cellphone.

Central police district road policing manager Inspector Dave White said there were added risks when driving on roads during peak holiday traffic and it's vital that motorists were prepared, drove to the conditions and remained aware at all times.

"While the vast majority of motorists are responsible road users, there are still those who choose to drive in a way that puts all at risk.

"Those people can expect to face appropriate action by police," Mr White said.

"We also urge drivers to be patient and considerate towards other road users, particularly with higher traffic volumes expected over the long weekend."

"If towing or driving a slower vehicle, please pull over where safe to do so and allow traffic to pass to avoid other motorists becoming frustrated and taking unnecessary risks."

The central district had some of the most used roads in the North Island and during holiday season could quickly become congested, he said.

"Making sure your vehicle is fit for the journey and checking for any delays before leaving home could save unwanted frustration in the long run."

Lowering the speeding tolerance was introduced at Queen's Birthday in 2010 after a disastrous Easter when 12 people died on the roads.

That Queen's Birthday weekend saw a huge turnaround with only two deaths and a more than 30 per cent reduction in crashes.

Since then, police have lowered the tolerance level every holiday weekend and have had a consistently lowered road toll, police said.