Police said in a statement yesterday they had issued numerous infringement notices and ordered multiple vehicles off the road over the weekend in an operation targeting antisocial road user behaviour.
In an operation running over June 6 and 7, police pulled over 161 vehicles. Of those, 54 were sent for inspection, and 12 green stickers and 16 pink stickers were issued.
A green sticker indicates a vehicle is unsafe due to modifications and requires repairs, allowing the driver to still drive on the road. A pink sticker means the vehicle is unsafe and must be taken off the road immediately. Police were out in force across the Invercargill area, working to disrupt gatherings and target illegal activity.
The enforcement action was supported by VTNZ.
Southland area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Scott MacKenzie said district staff worked together over the weekend to curb any illegal behaviour and keep communities safe.
"The number of vehicles ordered off the road really surprised us, coupled with the fact that only eight of the 54 vehicles inspected were found without any faults.
"In total the teams stopped 161 vehicles, of which those with numerous and/or serious faults came in at 33.5% — one-third of all cars stopped should not have been on the road," Snr Sgt MacKenzie said.
"We’ve been very clear — we have no tolerance for this behaviour and the havoc it wreaks in our communities."
He said he and his colleagues were "all too familiar" with the devastating impacts that could occur when driving recklessly or at speed, along with the fact that many of the vehicles were unsafe to travel in.
"We’re the ones having to visit families and deliver awful news about their loved ones being involved in serious incidents resulting in injury or death.
"That’s what motivates us. We don’t want to be the people having to deliver that news. It’s absolutely tragic, and absolutely avoidable.
"Police are sending a message to anyone participating in antisocial road user behaviour — we are ready and waiting, and you can expect us to take action," he said.
"We continue to encourage anyone who witnesses this type of activity to report it to police."
— APL
