riffer
24th January 2006, 09:10
Motorists speeding over Paekakariki Hill Road are “playing Russian roulette” with other people’s lives, police say.
Police operations catch an average of 12 drivers an hour failing to keep left.
Last year 40 accidents were reported to police on the road, making it one of the worst blackspots in the Kapiti-Mana area. Although no one was killed, crash victims were hospitalised after at least six of the smashes, Sergeant Mike George said.
A number of people had been injured because they had swerved to avoid oncoming vehicles in their lane, ending up in a bank.
The speed limit had recently been reduced to a maximum of 80kmh from Pauatahanui to Battle Hill, and 70kmh from Battle Hill to the summit. A restriction of 70kmh was shortly due to be implemented on the Kapiti side of the hill.
However, drivers were continuing to take risks, with many failing to keep to their lane because they were travelling too fast for the conditions, Mr George said. At 5.45pm on 12 January a motorcyclist heading towards Kapiti was fined $150 for overtaking a car on a blind bend. By law motorists had to have 100 metres of visibility before passing another vehicle.
Police had received numerous complaints from hill road residents about dangerous driving. One farmer last year had to repair his fence four times because of motorists slamming into it.
The entire road was a blackspot, and, with an average of 400 cars an hour travelling on it during peak periods, the likelihood of a fatal crash was huge, Mr George said.
“If you’re driving a tonne-and-a-half of lethal machinery you have to remember to drive it correctly. The local residents don’t crash on it – it’s the people who travel through.”
Like Centennial Highway, there was no margin for error if someone made a mistake, he said. “There’s no such thing as an accident. A crash is an error somewhere.”
The road was popular with boy racers because it was narrow, winding and “they can get into the corners”, Sergeant Ron Walker said.
In November police clocked a driver doing 174 kmh along the hill while racing another car.
Two men had had their drivers’ licences suspended and were facing charges of operating a vehicle in an unauthorised street race, under the boy racer laws.
Throughout last year, police filmed motorists on blind corners along Paekakariki Hill Road. On average they netted 25 drivers for failing to keep left every time they carried out a two-hour operation.
SOURCE: FAIRFAX
Police operations catch an average of 12 drivers an hour failing to keep left.
Last year 40 accidents were reported to police on the road, making it one of the worst blackspots in the Kapiti-Mana area. Although no one was killed, crash victims were hospitalised after at least six of the smashes, Sergeant Mike George said.
A number of people had been injured because they had swerved to avoid oncoming vehicles in their lane, ending up in a bank.
The speed limit had recently been reduced to a maximum of 80kmh from Pauatahanui to Battle Hill, and 70kmh from Battle Hill to the summit. A restriction of 70kmh was shortly due to be implemented on the Kapiti side of the hill.
However, drivers were continuing to take risks, with many failing to keep to their lane because they were travelling too fast for the conditions, Mr George said. At 5.45pm on 12 January a motorcyclist heading towards Kapiti was fined $150 for overtaking a car on a blind bend. By law motorists had to have 100 metres of visibility before passing another vehicle.
Police had received numerous complaints from hill road residents about dangerous driving. One farmer last year had to repair his fence four times because of motorists slamming into it.
The entire road was a blackspot, and, with an average of 400 cars an hour travelling on it during peak periods, the likelihood of a fatal crash was huge, Mr George said.
“If you’re driving a tonne-and-a-half of lethal machinery you have to remember to drive it correctly. The local residents don’t crash on it – it’s the people who travel through.”
Like Centennial Highway, there was no margin for error if someone made a mistake, he said. “There’s no such thing as an accident. A crash is an error somewhere.”
The road was popular with boy racers because it was narrow, winding and “they can get into the corners”, Sergeant Ron Walker said.
In November police clocked a driver doing 174 kmh along the hill while racing another car.
Two men had had their drivers’ licences suspended and were facing charges of operating a vehicle in an unauthorised street race, under the boy racer laws.
Throughout last year, police filmed motorists on blind corners along Paekakariki Hill Road. On average they netted 25 drivers for failing to keep left every time they carried out a two-hour operation.
SOURCE: FAIRFAX