Police breath testing

[T.W.R]

Is this a serious post or just a troll?

If it is serious then I am astounded by the level of crazy. If it normally takes 1 hour for 2000 bikers to clear out and they were held up by an average of 20 seconds each then the time would go from 1 hour to 1 hour 20 seconds. For it to take 5 hours instead of 1 hour the last rider must have been waiting for 4 hours longer than on previous years.

If you simply think about 2009 bikers leaving a venue and the police setup a checkpoint creating a bottleneck - the idea that on average only 20 seconds extra time was added is just freakin' nuts!

were you there? nah probably not

I've never seen a rally in over 22yrs ever where all the attendees left at exactly the same time though I've seen plenty where there's been congestion & delays caused just by the mere fact of site access & numbers of individuals trying to leave.
If someone is the last person in the line attempting to leave the site and thus held up the longest the answer is simple........tough shit, wake up earlier, pack up quicker and avoid the congestion
I was there along with a couple of others we were up at 7.30 packed up and set to go by 9am and the only hold-up leaving the Hare was a few seconds which involved saying Hi & being asked to count to 5 whilst speaking into the meter then a thanks have a safe ride & on your way
And there were plenty of Bikes that had already departed prior to us

[MarkH]

were you there? nah probably not

Thanks for the red rep - very mature.

No, I wasn't there - so unfortunately I have only what I read here to go on.

From this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...lice-operation

I read:

"The booze bus was set up in the middle of the road safety area.

"What normally takes an hour took five hours as we had to have people diverting traffic flow."

Mr Rowley said police had caused a bottleneck in the road outside the venue as every motorcyclist was stopped.

I am happy for those that were there to say that the info in the article wasn't completely accurate and that most people leaving didn't have to wait all that long - unlike TWR I am happy to hear different opinions, even if it proves me wrong. But I just can't make sense of the police causing a bottleneck and checking over 2000 riders leading to an average of only 20 seconds delay to the riders, that really doesn't seem very likely.

Maybe others that attended the rally could chime in with their experience and how long they were delayed. Of those 2009 riders there must be quite a few that are members of this forum.

[red mermaid]

Perhaps Mr Rowley was less than truthful and had some sort of agenda to push?

He issued the statement so I don't think you can really blame the media for printing what he told them.

[T.W.R]

Thanks for the red rep - very mature.

No, I wasn't there - so unfortunately I have only what I read here to go on.

From this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...lice-operation

I read:


I am happy for those that were there to say that the info in the article wasn't completely accurate and that most people leaving didn't have to wait all that long - unlike TWR I am happy to hear different opinions, even if it proves me wrong. But I just can't make sense of the police causing a bottleneck and checking over 2000 riders leading to an average of only 20 seconds delay to the riders, that really doesn't seem very likely.

Maybe others that attended the rally could chime in with their experience and how long they were delayed. Of those 2009 riders there must be quite a few that are members of this forum.

You're a lucky recipient of some rep as the two options are I agree or I disagree

Instead of whining here go and read the actual rally thread

and the 20sec is about the average time of the actual processing of each individual rider
it's just a hard luck story if someone managed to be towards the end of the queue waiting to leave.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...)?p=1129674966

[scumdog]

d rep - very mature.

No, I wasn't there - so unfortunately I have only what I read here to go on.

From this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...lice-operation

You believe a newspaper?

Sheesh, that's worse than believing what you read on KB!!

[MarkH]

[QUOTE=T.W.R;1129684279]Instead of whining here go and read the actual rally thread

This isn't the thread to whine about the police checkpoint?

and the 20sec is about the average time of the actual processing of each individual rider

So when you said:

20 seconds lol a major catastrophe

You were just dismissing the half hour or whatever that the rider had to wait as irrelevant because the breath test itself only took 20 seconds?

it's just a hard luck story if someone managed to be towards the end of the queue waiting to leave.

Yes, somehow all 2009 riders should have figured out how to leave first . . .

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...)?p=1129674966

Thanks for the link - I might just have a good read. It'll make me want to take another trip to the SI though. At least I can get a cheaper ferry crossing now though. If I see you there next year I'll buy you a drink to make nice!

[davereid]

And this would play back into the tricky lawyers arms, whereby when a driver is stopped and processed for drink driving the arguement in court would not be about the drink driving offence they had committed but whether the police officer had cause to stop the driver.

Yes, I absolutely understand the dilemma that the police face here.

And I confess, that I would abhor a drunk driver getting away because of simple legal trickery !

[sinned]

If you exceed the speed limit on state highways the odds are you will be ticketed and often enough to mean you slow down - ever wondered why so few speed? However, drinking and driving poses a low risk of being stopped, except in those areas and at times of the so called random testing spots. The last two times (in 3 years) I have been stopped were for speed - so those who drink and drive have little chance of being stopped unless they speed or are so pissed they draw attention to their driving.

I am all in favour of a lot more stops for breath testing and while doing that a few other checks should be done. It should be more regular than random. BTW I don't drink and drive/ride.

[AD345]

A quick search found this.
Do you want more?

http://police.govt.nz/news/release/3181.html

Yes I do want more. Despite Mr Plod saying that a 0.2% shift is statistically significant - that isn't actually so. It would fall pretty comfortably within the margin of error of the sampling data.

here's what I have found though:

Injury crashes per 100,000 people: 1973 (when we started to get serious) 162.5, 2008 46.7. Thats a 71.2% decrease - which actually IS statistically significant.

If someone could refresh my memory as to when random breath testing became compulsory (alcohol has fucked my memory) I can do the same look-up. I'm willing to bet some fairly serious money that there will be an equally serious drop in the crash rate.

Drink-driving = bad

Removal of freedom from unreasonable serach and seizure = bad too

I don't want the police to have these powers any more

[FJRider]

If someone could refresh my memory as to when random breath testing became compulsory (alcohol has fucked my memory) I can do the same look-up. I'm willing to bet some fairly serious money that there will be an equally serious drop in the crash rate.

Drink-driving = bad

Removal of freedom from unreasonable serach and seizure = bad too

I don't want the police to have these powers any more

It matters little when it was introduced ... it would take a very brave political party to REMOVE it from law.

If you are in control of a motor vehicle, it is reasonable to assume that you are not (should not) be impaired by alcohol ...

If you are NOT ... you have nothing to fear ...

Perhaps ... if you get clobbered by a "vehicle operator" who IS over the legal limit ... YOU may change YOUR view ...

[FJRider]

However, drinking and driving poses a low risk of being stopped, except in those areas and at times of the so called random testing spots. The last two times (in 3 years) I have been stopped were for speed - so those who drink and drive have little chance of being stopped unless they speed or are so pissed they draw attention to their driving.

I am all in favour of a lot more stops for breath testing and while doing that a few other checks should be done. It should be more regular than random. BTW I don't drink and drive/ride.

Most times you are stopped for speeding ... the breath test comes part of the package ...

[JimO]

I



Perhaps ... if you get clobbered by a "vehicle operator" who IS over the legal limit ... YOU may change YOUR view ...

this is the truest thing ever said, all those bleating on about being tested and police state would change their tune if they were on the receiving end of a drunk driver THEN they would be saying WHY didnt the cops do their job!

[davereid]

If you are in control of a motor vehicle, it is reasonable to assume that you are not (should not) be impaired by alcohol ..If you are NOT ... you have nothing to fear ....

Absolute rubbish.

Police regularly use this power to harass. You DO have something to fear.

The Hells Angels were "randomly" stopped by police on boarding and getting off the ferry, again at Hira, and Motueka. While ignoring every other motorist.

OK, so your not a Hells Angel, big deal.

But maybe you are a commie. Or a libertarian. Or maybe you dont like the government.

It doesnt really matter. Police have already demonstrated they will use this power, not to detect drink driving, just to harass.

[Toaster]

No problem with breath or impairment testing. Bring it on and keep it up if it means getting some drunks and drugged drivers off the road.

Having long delays to go through a checkpoint, if that in actual fact really occurred, is more a matter of better checkpoint planning and management.

[FJRider]

Absolute rubbish.

Police regularly use this power to harass. You DO have something to fear.

The Hells Angels were "randomly" stopped by police on boarding and getting off the ferry, again at Hira, and Motueka. While ignoring every other motorist.

OK, so your not a Hells Angel, big deal.

It doesnt really matter. Police have already demonstrated they will use this power, not to detect drink driving, just to harass.

No ... I'm not ... ARE YOU ... ????

If you drive/ride distintive vehicles ... you will be noticed. (the DOWN side of custom paint work .... people remember seeing them ...) wear distinctive clothing (ie: patches ... of any "club" ) you will be noticed ...

The "cops" play within the rules prescribed by Goverment ... if you don't like the rules ... vote them OUT ... and vote IN one that will CHANGE them...