TV face can be arresting

If you break the law do not be surprised if the face of New Zealand road safety pulls you over.

Superintendent Paula Rose, the national road policing manager, returned to Dunedin last month to serve as the acting Southern district commander.

"I have stopped a few drivers since I have been down here ... Most of them have recognised me and they say, 'You're the lady off TV'."

"If an offence happens in front of me, I am going to deal with it ... In fact I have done that today [Thursday]."

The recognition and getting stopped in the street was just part of what was an extremely rewarding job - "I simply stand in the front of so many absolutely fabulous women and men".

Supt Rose is certain public concern over road safety was critical in reducing the road toll to 284 last year, but she is far from complacent.

"Why should we have a road toll that has to have any number on it? Why should the cost of using a transport system have to be measured in blood and lives?"

She acknowledged last year's toll placed extra pressure on police to further reduce road deaths,with her response to the challenge being "bring it on".

"I am an idealist ... I am not prepared to say that I will offer up my mother, my brother, my sister, my friend as being the person who is going to be an acceptable level of death on our roads."

"My goal is zero."

Toll figures failed to reflect all the lives saved and "how many kids are born because their parents made it to be adults and how many 17-year-olds lived to become grown-ups and meaningful members of society ... We just don't know that".

Asked about driving behaviour across the country, Supt Rose said her personal observation was that southern drivers failed to merge correctly, often viewing it as "a wee race instead of a courtesy".

The other driving habit she had noticed from her time in the South was a failure to indicate on the part of drivers.

"When you have heavy traffic it becomes very important, so someone in Auckland or Wellington in congested traffic puts on their indicators and someone makes way ... whereas here it is less easy to get people to use their indicators, and to actually allow that courtesy."

Traffic density appeared to play a part in a motorist's decision not to indicate or merge correctly, she said.

Supt Rose is returning to Wellington at the end of the month, but during her stay in Dunedin she hopes to increase the profile of road policing staff, beginning with the high-risk Waitangi weekend.

"Whether it is a small-town officer or the big-city traffic staff, we want everyone focusing on trying to make as many people survive February down south as possible." It was lovely coming back to a "great place with great people", which had a relatively low crime rate, Supt Rose said.

"Overall, police are held in high esteem in Otago and Southland, and certainly people find it easy to talk to police, which is good."