Kiri Gillespie: Drink-driving? Then you deserve to get caught

Police check points for drink-drivers are a common sight at this time of year, and have already caught plenty in Rotorua and Tauranga. Photo / File

How many drink-driving ads do we need?

Over the years there have been countless campaigns to get the message not to drink-drive across to us Kiwis. From 1982's Deerhunter-esque Russian Roulette ad to the classic Ghost Chips or more the more recent "That's a fail", there have been so many attempts.

Yet, it appears some of us still can't or won't get the message.

Last week, Bay of Plenty and Waikato police teamed up to target impaired driving on Tauranga and Rotorua roads. Operation Tri-City nabbed 126 drivers who now face prosecution for drink-driving.

We should have all been appalled but I'd wager most of us weren't. Heck, I barely batted an eyelid despite my views of the issue. Drink-driving just seems to happen too much, too often.

It shouldn't. The result of someone drunk at the wheel can be devastating and far-reaching.

In 2019, alcohol or drugs were a factor in 432 serious injury crashes and another 131 fatal crashes. Think about that for a moment. That's 131 families who will have just experienced Christmas without a loved one because their life was snuffed out early because someone got too wasted to drive. Such trauma is entirely preventable, all it takes is a taxi.

In my view, drink-drivers are among the most selfish in society. The impact of their actions isn't exclusive to them. Too often their decision is inflicted on other road users with zero say on the matter. These are innocent people who simply happen to be sharing the same road space as a driver who can no longer control their vehicle because they're too inebriated. It often ends in tragedy.

Over the years in this job, we've covered many awful crashes resulting from drink-driving. I look forward to the day when such an event will become a rarity. But will it?

According to drinkdriving.org.nz the issue is on a decline in New Zealand with the number of people getting caught dropping year by year with 20,903 convictions in 2014. In 2019, Newshub reported convictions reduced to 17,016 in 2018.

That's great, but I doubt it's enough.

Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Brent Crowe said the figures from the police sting served as a stark reminder of why they always breath-tested every driver.

Fair call.

There really is no excuse.

In my view, if someone is caught drink-driving, they deserve all the police can throw at them.

I'll save my sympathy for those families of the next drink-drive victim.