Crimeline - rise in dangerous speeding
Police are extremely concerned about the excessive speeds drivers are being clocked at – up around 130 and 140km/hr, on the main highways around Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago, with complete disregard for the icy roads and winter conditions.
Senior Sergeant John Fookes says there’s been a notable increase in recent weeks of both overseas and New Zealand drivers speeding to extremes.
“We’re noticing a lot more of these cases and there have been a lot of infringement notices issued, some copping some very hefty fines in the hundreds of dollars,” he says. “There have been a range of ages, a lot of middle-aged drivers in hire cars, not just youth.”
Several of the drivers have had their rental car contracts cancelled after Police have notified the unimpressed rental car companies involved to warn them.
What’s equally as concerning is that there seems to be a disregard for the treacherous icy winter road conditions among these speedsters, some who are tourists also used to driving on the right-hand side of the road,” Fookes says.
Charges have been laid with drivers arrested and summonsed to court for driving in a dangerous manner and driving at a dangerous speed.
“Throughout the winter there’s hasn’t been a week gone by so far when somebody hasn’t been charged with this type of dangerous driving around Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago,” he says.
Fookes is warning that the main highways and roads by which people enter and leave the district are heavily policed and those speeding and drink driving will be targeted by Police.
Teen driver clocks at least 200km/h
Southern Police clocked the 18-year-old driver of an Audi at allegedly twice the open road speed limit - at least 200km/h, on Saturday after a concerned motorist phoned 111. Police say it turned out the same driver had been pulled over the week before for allegedly driving 30km/h over the 100km/h limit.
Other matters
The snow arrived and with it the late-night buzz downtown but Police out on the CBD beat last weekend noticed intoxication levels were higher than normal, although fortunately there was no major trouble or arrests.
A 28-year-old Horowhenua male was arrested in Queenstown yesterday (7 August) on three warrants of failing to appear in court in the North Island in relation to driving matters and breaching court release conditions.
A 30-year-old local male was arrested and charged with driving contrary to and in relation to an alcohol interlock device. He will appear in the Queenstown District Court tomorrow (9 August).
