Police operating an alcohol driver-impaired checkpoint in the Bay of Plenty. Photo / George Novak
Speeding drivers on Rotorua, Taupō and Eastern Bay of Plenty roads were fined $2.3 million in the first nine months of the year, police data shows.
About 105 people a month were caught drink-driving.
The Bay of Plenty police region, which also includes Tauranga and Western Bay, has one of the worst road death tolls in the country, with alcohol-impaired driving, speeding and distracted drivers blamed for much of the carnage.
According to the provisional Ministry of Transport road death toll, 46 people have died on the district's roads this year as of yesterday - five more than in 2020. Only Canterbury had more, with 48 fatalities.
The latest available road policing data shows that 327 people were caught drink-driving in Rotorua between January and September, and another 328 in the eastern Bay and 292 in Taupō.
That's almost 105 drivers a month and the majority were adults aged 20 and over.
Another 14 drivers were also caught driving after consuming drugs.
Some 18,241 drivers were caught speeding on Bay of Plenty roads during the same nine-month period.
Rotorua Lakes district had the most speeders, with 8677 drivers issued a total of $980,360 in fines. The Eastern Bay fine total was $457,410; Taupō's was $947,830.
Rotorua and Taupō's shares each eclipsed that of the more populated Tauranga and Western Bay, which had a combined $765,940, bringing the Bay's total to more than $3.1m.
Almost 600 drivers were caught not wearing a seatbelt.
Brake New Zealand's director Caroline Perry said the data was "extremely concerning" and it was frustrating that so many people still choose to put lives at risk on Bay of Plenty roads.
"Drink-driving crashes have devastating consequences, and even small amounts of alcohol impair your driving, so the only safe amount of alcohol to have before you get behind the wheel is none."
Perry said she was calling on all drivers to "give the road their full attention" and avoid taking risks if heading away during the holiday period.
"Already this year more than 300 families have been given the devastating news that a loved one won't be coming home," she said.
Perry also urged people to take precautions so they get to their destination safely, including making key checks of their vehicles before they set off.
"We need people to slow down, never drive fatigued or after consuming alcohol or drugs, take regular rest breaks, and abide by all the other road rules."
In July a Bay of Plenty police spokeswoman said a large number of road-related deaths in the region this year were the result of impaired or distracted driving, and speed was also a significant contributing factor in many crashes.
Assistant police commissioner Bruce O'Brien said on Monday it was an incredibly tragic start to the Christmas and New Year holiday season with at least five dead on the country's roads since December 24.
People should be planning for an enjoyable and restful festive season not planning tangi or funerals for their loved ones, he said.
"The impact on whānau, friends and communities cannot be measured when someone is killed in a road crash. It is also incredibly frustrating for the police to see people losing their lives in completely preventable incidents."
O'Brien said alcohol, speed, distractions and people being unrestrained in vehicles continued to be driving factors of road deaths and many injury crashes.
He urged people to drive with a 100 per cent focus on safety, to keep calm, be patient and not take any risks.
Stacey Spall, the AA Bay of Plenty District Council chairwoman and national convenor, said
the latest road police figures made disturbing reading.
"Unfortunately, our message is pretty much the same as last holiday season, and we urge everyone to ensure they exercise extreme caution on our roads this holiday break.
"This is a high-pressure time of year. People are rushing, people are stressed. It only takes a moment's inattention for someone to make a grave mistake or people making a silly choice to drive when they know they shouldn't, for a serious injury crash to happen."
Drink-driving certainly became a significant problem around Christmas and the New Year break and Spall urged everyone to plan ahead so they were not tempted to do so.
Consuming alcohol and driving, and speeding or driving distracted was just not worth taking the risks, Spall said.
Roger Brady, the NZ Transport Agency's Bay of Plenty's systems manager, said after a long and difficult year for many, people deserved a safe and relaxing holiday.
Brady said deaths and serious injuries on the region's roads were not an inevitable consequence of just another part of the busy holiday period.
"We're all human and we can make mistakes, but we also have the power to make decisions which will help keep our roads safer for everyone.
"It's not a race. You're on holiday, so take your time, be courteous to other drivers, watch following distances, keep your speed down and rest before you set off on any journey."
Nationwide 317 people have died after road crashes this year, four more than in 2020.