As the season of Christmas parties’ fast approaches, the emergency services are urging Kiwis to think twice about getting behind the wheel after a few drinks.
Police, fire and ambulance services are banding together to get the message out early to prevent a particularly bad road toll like that of 2018.
“People wind-up their work year and celebrate the end of the year and there is a tendency to overdo it,” says NZ Police’s National Road Policing manager Amelia Steel.
“If that’s the case, we’d encourage people to not be driving, to make alternative plans.”
Those who are first on the scene have seen it all and it takes a toll on those first responders.
“Unfortunately, it comes with the job,” Wellington Free Ambulance worker Nick Ridley told 1 NEWS.
“It’s not going away anytime soon, but we’d like to minimise that though.”
December and January are our deadliest months on the road and New Zealand has a long history of horror road tolls.
In 2017, 380 people were killed on our roads and in 2018, 377 lives were lost. In 2019, the road toll isn’t looking any better.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a crash or a severe crash where everyone’s been doing what they should’ve been doing really – there’s always some factor that contributes to what’s happened,” says Mr Ridley.
In an age where a taxi or car can be booked straight from your phone, police say there’s no excuse not to make alternative arrangements.
“Take a wee bit of time to plan your night, to ensure that you and your friends get home safely,” says Acting Superintendent Steel.
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