Police urge caution on roads amid harsh winter predictions
Police are urging drivers to be extra cautious, informed, and prepared heading into what is expected to be a very harsh and busy winter season on our local roads.
Central Otago Queenstown Lakes Area Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Steve Watt says weather experts are warning of a more severe winter as the south transitions from its incredible, balmy La Niña summer into more of an El Niño weather effect. “The last two winters have been relatively mild which could catch many unprepared to drive in the harsher conditions,” says Watt. “The biggest cause of accidents is failure to drive to the conditions and speed. People often get caught out in that first frost when the road is iced over and not being aware of the black ice spots that cause harm,” he says. “We just need to be really careful.”
In the lead up to winter as the excitement builds, Watts urges drivers to check their vehicles and ensure they’re winter ready. This includes checking tyres have sufficient tread and testing out their chains, which are always supposed to be carried when driving over the Crown Range. “However, it’s no good carrying chains if you don’t know how to fit them,” says Watt.
He’s hoping local drivers will make the most of the QLDC’s free ‘how to’ chain fitting sessions. These will be held in Queenstown on June 9 at the Queenstown Events Centre and in Wanaka on June 13 at the Wanaka Recreation Centre from 11am until 1pm.
“This is a great opportunity to get some proper instructions. The experts on hand will show people how to fit their own chains onto their own vehicle.”
Watt is also urging people to factor in that extra bit of time to their journeys with a larger influx of visitors also likely on our roads. Accommodation providers are reporting strong ski season bookings, particularly from Australia, and local drivers need to be patient with extra visitors on the roads. “Due to Covid the last few winters meant less visitors, and the weather during the last two winters was quite mild,” he says. “Anecdotally, we’ve seen traffic accidents down on pre-Covid times, potentially due to reduced tourist numbers. However, this year is likely to be substantially different, with a harsh winter and increased traffic adding that element of danger with extra care needed.”
Patience is vital with a mix of international, national, and local drivers on the roads. “Plan your trips and allow extra time so you won’t get frustrated when you’re stuck behind others who are travelling a bit slower than you want to go.” Driving abilities differ and Watt says drivers need to be mindful that not everyone is at their same skill level. “Be considerate.”
As the winter party atmosphere builds police will continue to crack down on drink driving. Police have an Impairment Target Team working throughout the region and that’s always a big focus. “But as the tourist numbers increase, we inevitably get more drink drivers,” says Watt.
Police have also been coming down hard on speeding throughout the region’s rural roads with a specialist operation launched at the start of May for duck shooting weekend. “We had a driver stopped clocking 210kms an hour on the Ida Valley straights, which is just ridiculous,” says Watts. The Otago man was charged with dangerous driving and his vehicle was impounded. “Slow down on rural roads as at that speed the harm caused is catastrophic.”
NIWA Principal Scientist Forecasting and Media Chris Brandolino echoes Watts calls for caution this winter. “It’s been unusually warmer than normal for the past three winters. We’ve had record warm winters consecutively,” he says. People need to be prepared to encounter winter driving conditions. “We’re now segwaying into El Niño and moving through that transition the weather patterns will be especially lumpy,” says Brandolino. El Niño means more south-westerly winds and these are likely to hit in the last month or so of winter, becoming more profound into spring, he says. June and July so far look like good bets for “meaningful larger scale snow events” in the Queenstown area.
