Figures released to the Otago Daily Times reveal calls to the mobile service leapt 22% between Christmas Eve and January 4.
Assistant Commissioner road policing Dave Cliff said the increase was ''very encouraging as it shows not only a greater awareness of the *555 service but also public support for the work of police''.
The busiest day for *555 calls over the Christmas holiday period was New Year's Eve, with police call centres receiving 1033 calls nationally. That compared with 770 the previous year, an increase of 34%.
''Calls to *555 demonstrates that the public will not tolerate the small proportion of drivers who present a risk to themselves and other road users, and they are willing to support police efforts to stop those drivers,'' Mr Cliff said.
''Police can't be everywhere at once and we greatly appreciate the assistance provided by the public in alerting us to issues of concern so we can respond appropriately to prevent crashes and crime.''
The increased trend in *555 calls from the public concerned about unsafe or dangerous driving was mirrored in the Southern district, acting road policing manager Senior Sergeant Steve Larking said.
''As drivers, we can all do our bit to make the roads safer by taking more responsibility for our own driving.''
