Ron Mark
Spokesperson for Police
2 JANUARY 2015

End Zero Speed Limit Tolerance Experiment Says New Zealand First

With the 2014 provisional road toll up 44 deaths on 2013 and the holiday road toll substantially up at 12 deaths with three days left to go, New Zealand First wants Police to abandon its failed experiment of zero speed limit tolerance.

“Before the holiday return peak, Police need to focus on bad driving and not those doing 110 km/h in a passing lane,” says Ron Mark, New Zealand First’s Police spokesperson.

“This experiment of zero tolerance has failed. It has precious Police resources sucked up making good drivers feel like criminals instead of focussing on those driving too fast, too slowly or too badly.

“People are saying to me that instead of driving to the conditions, their eyes are darting from the speedo to road and back again and that every time they see a Police car, they instinctively brake despite being well within the speed limit.

“I am genuinely concerned this focus is not just downright dangerous, it is making law abiding and safe drivers fearful of the Police.

“Without this stupid zero tolerance speed policy, from what I have read, open-road and urban mean speeds have been dropping for years in spite of a massive increase in the number of vehicles and road users.

“Which begs the question as to why the Police under National are implementing ineffective policing policies that just so happen to raise tens of millions of dollars for this cash strapped government?”

“I would like to know how accurate Police speed radar is and will be asking the Minister of Police exactly this question. I also need to ask who will take responsibility for the rising road toll given that the zero speed limit tolerance policy has failed so spectacularly.

“Or is it not really about safety at all but more about stealth taxation?”

“We need to ask hard questions of our Police and this government because the evidence clearly shows that the harder they crack down on the holidaying public, the higher the road toll has risen.

“Clearly their zero tolerance policies are “Nat” working,” Mr Mark concluded.

ENDS

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