A third of the cars stopped in Invercargill over two days last week “should not have been on the road”, police say.
Southern District Police pulled over 161 vehicles as part of an operation targeting antisocial road user behaviour in the region on Friday and Saturday night.
Of that number, 54 were sent for inspection, 12 were issued green stickers, and 16 were slapped with pink stickers.
Green stickers indicated compliance issues, while pink stickers signalled the vehicle was unsafe to be driven on the road.
Southland area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Scott MacKenzie said the sheer number of vehicles ordered off the road “really surprised us”.
He added 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,” MacKenzie said.
“We’ve been very clear – we have no tolerance for this behaviour and the havoc it wreaks in our communities.”
‘Devastating’ consequences
MacKenzie said he and his colleagues were “all too familiar” with the devastating impacts of speeding and driving recklessly.
“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,” he said.
“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’.”
Anyone who witnessed antisocial road user behaviour was encouraged to report it to police via 111 if it was happening now, 105 if it was after the fact, or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
