Police issued tickets to six drivers using cellphones during
a one-hour operation in central Dunedin yesterday.
Sergeant Andrew Bardsley of the Strategic Traffic Unit, said
the operation at the intersection of Castle and St Andrew Sts
was targeting intersection behaviour. One officer was used as
a "spotter" and officers further along the road stopped
drivers.
About 30 tickets were issued, six of them to people either
talking or texting on their cellphones while driving.
It was unusual to issue so many tickets in one operation, and
disappointing after people had been so good following the
introduction of the ban on cellphones in November last year,
Sgt Bardsley said.
Two people were given tickets for driving through red lights,
while the remainder, about 20 drivers, were ticketed for not
wearing seat belts.
Seatbelts appeared to be a particular issue with people in
light utility vehicles or vans, who were perhaps often in and
out of their vehicles for work, but they must be worn while
driving at all times, unless a driver had a specific
exemption, he said.
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