Speeding motorists are being warned - they are under close scrutiny from police on Dunedin's southern roads.
Police will target speeding drivers and those not wearing seatbelts in Caversham Valley Rd, Kaikorai Valley Rd, Brighton Rd and the Southern Motorway during "Operation Stop Speeding".
"Our aim is to continue our current high level of patrolling with a targeted campaign on roads leading into the city. There have been high levels of complaints from these areas . . . and many drivers have been travelling at excessive speeds," strategic traffic unit Acting Sergeant Andrew Camp said.
Speed was a factor in several fatalities on the roads to be targeted, including a 2006 crash in Caversham Valley Rd and a double fatality in Kaikorai Valley Rd, also in 2006.
But despite awareness of the dangers of excessive speed, some motorists continued to drive considerably faster than the speed limit, he said. During a traffic operation last month, Sgt Camp said he recorded a motorist travelling at 191kmh on the Southern Motorway. On October 26, police issued an infringement to a motorist driving on Caversham Valley Rd at 89kmh.
Southern district road policing figures show excessive speed is a factor in 50% of fatal crashes and 15% of injury crashes in the Dunedin city area.
Nationally, there is a vehicle crash every 13 minutes and a person is injured every 35 minutes as a result of vehicle accidents. One person dies as a result of a crash every 20 hours and 40 minutes in New Zealand.
"We have given people plenty of warning and can't be much fairer than that. We would hope because we are telling people about the operation and putting more police resources into the operation [than were assigned to recent traffic operations] will mean we get better results."
Police from general duties branch, Mosgiel and Green Island stations, the strategic traffic unit and highway patrol would take part in the two-week operation.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown, of Dunedin, said police on Wednesday issued tickets for about 30 speeding offences in the target areas and near Pinehill,.
A "handful" of motorists received infringement notices for not wearing seatbelts and the vehicles of three motorists (disqualified and suspended drivers) were impounded.
