The number of people convicted for drink driving has dropped, but police will continue daily checks. Photo / File
The number of people convicted for drink driving in Rotorua has plummeted by 31 per cent in the past five years, but the number of repeat offenders remains high.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice, obtained under the Official Information Act, reveal the number of people convicted for drink driving offences in the Rotorua District Court has fallen from 853 in 2009 to 585 in 2013/2014.
That number includes those found and convicted with excess breath alcohol, excess blood alcohol or refusing to provide a blood sample.
However the figures also show recidivist drink drivers, those convicted for a third time or more, made up almost a third of all those convicted for drink driving in the district in 2013/14, the highest proportion in the last five years.
Since 2009, the number of repeat offenders convicted for drink driving had made up no more than 28 per cent of the total number of people convicted, but this year that jumped to more than 32 per cent.
While the number of people convicted for drink driving offences in Rotorua has dropped significantly, the number of drivers convicted for a third or more time has hardly budged since 2009, dropping just 13 per cent since then and remaining at 189 people from 2012.
Police say they are continuing their work to get all drink drivers off the road, including repeat offenders.
Rotorua officer in charge of road policing, Senior Sergeant Nicky Riordan, said police are continuing to focus on reducing the number of people who consume alcohol and get behind the wheel.
"Police will continue doing daily checks, so people can expect to be stopped and breathalysed at any time of the day or night. People who know they will be consuming alcohol need to make plans in advance to ensure they, and other road users, make it home safe," she said.
Mrs Riordan said the evidence is clear that drink driving leads to crashes which cause serious injury or death.
She said, as she hadn't seen the figures, she couldn't comment on whether police have noticed a drop in the number of people they found drink driving, but said regardless of that, police want that number to drop even further.
Figures for the Bay of Plenty region also show a drop in the number of people convicted of drink driving, with the Opotiki District Court seeing the largest drop of 37 per cent in the past five years, from 109 in 2009 to 68 this year.
Rotorua District Court had the second biggest drop since 2009, followed by a 27 per cent drop in Taupo District Court, an 18 per cent drop in Tokoroa District Court and a 15 per cent in Whakatane District Court.
Of all those courts, Rotorua and Opotiki were the only ones to see a drop from 2012 to this year. The others saw an increase.
Earlier this month, a law lowering the breath alcohol limit from 400mcg to 250mcg of alcohol per litre of breath for drivers over 20 came into force.
Mrs Riordan said since the change, about a dozen people have been caught driving in Rotorua with a breath alcohol reading between the old and new limit.
It is uncertain whether the law would have any effect on the number of drink drivers convicted in our region in the coming years, as drivers caught between 251 and 400mcg do not receive a criminal conviction but an instant $200 fine, 50 demerit points and a ban from driving for 12 hours.
Figures from the entire 2014 year are expected to be released in the coming months.
By the numbers:
The number of people convicted for drink driving offences, including driving with excess breath alcohol, driving with excess blood alcohol, and refusing to provide a blood sample, listed by district court:
Rotorua District Court
• 2009: 853
• 2010: 731
• 2011: 739
• 2012: 671
• 2013/2014: 585
Taupo District Court
• 2009: 376
• 2010: 302
• 2011: 294
• 2012: 241
• 2013/2014: 273
Tokoroa District Court:
• 2009: 222
• 2010: 218
• 2011: 184
• 2012: 175
• 2013/2014: 181
Whakatane District Court:
• 2009: 354
• 2010: 370
• 2011: 378
• 2012: 269
• 2013/2014:298
Opotiki District Court
• 2009:109
• 2010: 128
• 2011: 113
• 2012: 79
• 2013/2014:68Multiple convictions:The number of people convicted for third or more time for drink driving:
Rotorua District Court
• 2009:219
• 2010: 178
• 2011: 196
• 2012:189
• 2013/2014: 189
Taupo District Court
• 2009: 87
• 2010: 64
• 2011: 55
• 2012:65
• 2013/2014:65
Tokoroa District Court
• 2009: 55
• 2010: 70
• 2011: 49
• 2012: 44
• 2013/2014: 38
Whakatane District Court
• 2009: 105
• 2010:115
• 2011:108
• 2012:71
• 2013/2014: 88
Opotiki District Court
• 2009: 38
• 2010: 28
• 2011: 34
• 2012: 27
• 2013/2014:22
All District Courts in New Zealand:
• 2013/2014: 5679