Friday, 27 November 2015 15:43

New campaign emphasises rural drunk drivers

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Canterbury Police will be carrying out more random patrols on rural roads over the coming summer.

Many people believe drunk drivers have a lower chance of being stopped by police when they drive on rural back roads.

Because of this, Canterbury Road Safety Coordinators are running a joint campaign aimed at reducing crashes from rural motorists drinking then driving.

Selwyn District Council and three other rural Canterbury Councils are participating in the Christmas and New Year campaign, which encourages rural drivers to plan a safe ride home.

Canterbury Police will be carrying out more random patrols on rural roads over the coming summer. The booze bus will also be deployed in rural areas as well as urban areas.

In Selwyn District between 2010 and 2014, 145 crashes involving alcohol were recorded by Police. In this period there were 13 deaths and 35 people seriously injured in the district as a result of alcohol related crashes.

"This years' campaign encourages drivers to plan how they can get home safely before they go out," says Selwyn road safety coordinator Ngaire Tinning.

"Good options to think about are to have a sober driver, use the courtesy van, share designated driver duties, or invite friends to sleep over so they don't need to be on the road if they have been drinking."

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