Rural communities still need to address the issue of drink-driving, with the key issue being planning how to get home safely, police say.
Figures from police show they have processed more than 1000 drivers for excess breath-alcohol in the rural communities of the southern police district in the past three years.
Acting Southern district road policing manager Senior Sergeant Steve Larking said Otago and Southland had a larger and more widely dispersed rural population than some parts of the country.
''Like any rural area there can at times be a problem with people drinking in isolated areas and then making a bad decision to drive home. The key message is to plan how you will safely get home if you have been out drinking, to avoid making a bad decision.''
He said that while many rural people understood and took on board the drink-driving message,
there was still a long way to go in terms of ownership of the issue among rural communities.
It was fair to say drink-driving was an issue in many communities, both rural and urban, and the behaviours and choices that created risk were similar in each, he said.
''Rural people are more likely to drive in environments where the majority of roads have a 100kmh speed limit and often road conditions can be more challenging, such as gravel or narrow roads. These factors do mean that if they are already engaging in a risky behaviour such as drinking and driving, they can be more likely to become victims of a road crash either through serious injury or death.''
He said the issue tended to be a bit more complex in rural areas due to those factors, including the greater reliance of people on their own means of transport.
In July this year, 1920 drivers were processed for excess breath-alcohol nationally, with 64 in Otago. Of these 64, 31 were in the Dunedin area, 13 in Clutha, eight in Central Otago, and six each in the Queenstown and Waitaki areas.
Sergeant Bruce Martin, of the Alexandra-based rural drink-drive team, said he had noticed an attitude change towards drink-driving over the past five years.
However, rural communities still had issues to address.
In isolated areas the key was to break the routine of drink-driving home from the pub, he said.
''It [drink-driving] does not discriminate. We see people from all walks of life and we have heard every excuse for it under the sun.''
A Central Otago man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Otago Daily Times he was caught drink-driving by Sgt Martin and his team about four years ago.
The man had ''a few drinks really quickly'' after doing ''community stuff'' as a part of the Blossom Festival in 2009.
''I thought I was fine to drive, so I drove home.''
On the way home he was stopped by Sgt Martin, failed the roadside breath-screening test and recorded a level of 575mcg after an evidential breath test.
''It was the worst thing that happened to me ... it was horrible. You had to tell your family, your wife, your kids, your boss. The worst part was telling everyone, but going to court was horrible, too.''
He was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for six months.
''For me it really was a wake-up call. People don't realise what a hassle it is, having a criminal conviction. It's just not worth it.''
However, something positive did come from the incident.
''The spin-off is that it gave all my friends a wake-up call, too. None of them would now drink and drive.''
''We've all got a responsibility to be safe road users, for ourselves, our friends and family and the wider community and others. We're also all in a position to have a positive influence on the behaviour of others,'' Snr Sgt Larking said.
