Drivers on fast road to oblivion

Police have uncovered a curious and life-threatening driving habit among Rotorua and Tauranga motorists.
Drivers are switching to the wrong side of the road as they travel between the two cities, taking dangerous short-cuts on several bends on the Rotorua side of the gorge on State Highway 36, the Tauranga Direct Rd.
The worst areas are two 7km stretches of Tauranga Direct Rd, between Kaharoa Rd and Hamurana Rd, and between Dudley Rd and Te Matai Rd.
In a recent three-day blitz, police issued $4500 worth of fines to 30 motorists for driving on the wrong side of the road.
Since 2002, there have been 175 crashes on the stretch of road.
Five of the crashes were fatal, nine resulted in serious injuries, 42 were minor injury crashes and in 119 the motorists and passengers were not hurt.
Twenty-five per cent of the crashes have been head-ons, indicating drivers are crossing the centre line as they are taking corners too fast or are being lazy. Since Pyes Pa Rd became fully sealed in 2002, the Tauranga Direct Rd route has become popular with commuters between Rotorua and Tauranga.
A recent study shows those responsible are Rotorua and Tauranga people on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm.
Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ed Van Den Broek said most of the drivers who were stopped greeted police with a confused "what's up?" tone.
Mr Van Den Broek said the stretch of road was common for corner cutters.
Commuters were in a hurry, the road was narrow and it was windy.
But there is a plan to make them stop. It is the "Three Es" - education, enforcement and engineering.
He said billboards had been put up alerting drivers about keeping left, and police would also be issuing tickets.
Engineers were planning roading improvements in the coming years to take away the temptation to cut corners.
The improvements would include better footpaths in Ngongotaha, upgrading the Kakahi culvert, signage and marking upgrades in the gorge area and widening at the Wikaraka St intersection. Longer term works include seal and bridge widening to provide more lane width and recovery areas for drivers.

Sally Cornwall lives on Tauranga Direct Rd on a bend with a 45km speed advisory. She often watches cars going far too fast, forcing them to cut the corner.
The improvements can't come soon enough for Mrs Cornwall, who estimates some drivers negotiate the corners at up to 120km/h.

Recently while teaching her teenage son how to drive, a number of cars crossed the white line into their path, Mrs Cornwall said.
"It was frightening. They were going far too fast for the corners. We had to swerve to miss some of them. It's not on. People need to pay more attention."
Once two motorcyclists travelling in opposite directions collided head on outside their home.
"I don't know how they both crossed the centre line but they managed it. It is narrow in places.
"There is an increase in traffic. A lot more people use this road now. People seem to be familiar with the road and know where it is going," she said. "It's only a matter of time and there is going to be a fatal accident."