Drinking? Don't Drive. Time To Get Our Heads Around It

Alcohol is a major factor contributing to crashes causing deaths and serious injuries in South Canterbury; but that has not stopped us from getting behind the wheel after drinking.

A statistical analysis of alcohol presence as a contributing factor to death and serious injury crashes in Waimate District revealed that this factor was present in 42.9% of cases between 2019 and 2023. A significant proportion of these road traffic accidents occurred on rural roads and involved individuals aged between 25 and 34 years old, with males being overrepresented in comparison to females.

In response, NZ Police, NZTA and partners are coming together this June to collectively target people in South Canterbury who continue to think it’s okay to drink and then drive. People will be reminded of the consequences through education and advertising, backed up on the ground by police vehicle checks, enforcement and driver education.

Mayor Craig Rowley says, as a community we must not tolerate drink driving.

“Together, we need to shift the attitudes and behaviours of our 'drink drivers' so they see themselves the same as 'drunk drivers'.

“For a long time, there has been plenty of information available on how to arrange a safer ride home. There’s just no excuse now. This June, Waimate District Council is joining forces with road safety partners to target people who drink and drive, putting us all at risk.”

Drink driving has a significant impact not only on the driver, but on passengers and people using the road around them. Around 40% of people injured in crashes involving alcohol were not the drink driver behind the wheel.

Find out more to keep yourself and others safe, because there's more to lose than your licence. nzta.govt.nz/drinking-dont-drive