From the DomPost today:
"A Cabinet minister with four drink-driving convictions has had his car ticketed six times for speeding in the past 16 months, three of them when he was driving.
Commerce Minister John Tamihere is one of 13 ministers whose taxpayer-funded self-drive cars were caught speeding 21 times since the election, papers released under the Official Information Act show.
The Government has identified speeding as the single biggest factor in road deaths, contributing to a third of fatal crashes.
Mr Tamihere, whose drink-driving convictions all happened before he entered Parliament, faced the largest fine, $300, after police clocked his car at 85km/h in Auckland in July.
He said he had been driving on three of the occasions, and family members the other times. "It's a fair cop. The reality is you should lead a bit better than that. I haven't. What more can you say?
"I have (learned my lesson) on drink- driving. Got to modify the behaviour over the foot on the accelerator. I regret I am not as saintly as some colleagues.
"There was a level of regularity there for a while. There was a very productive, prodigious bloke in a camera van who used to hide in all sorts of ways . . ."
Ministers to be ticketed twice were Transport Minister Pete Hodgson, Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Social Services Minister Steve Maharey.
The acting manager of executive government support, Janice Calvert, said she had no record of who was driving the self-drive cars at the times they were ticketed.
Ministers were responsible for arranging payment of traffic fines.
A spokesman for Mr Hodgson said he had not been in the vehicle the two times his car was ticketed this year. But he refused to say who was driving.
In an interview in April, Mr Hodgson revealed that last year he was fined for driving at 118km/h.
A spokeswoman for Dr Cullen said he was overseas and not available for comment.
A spokeswoman for Mr Maharey said the fines were a matter of public record. "He's paid them like any other citizen and that's all he has to say."
Others ticketed were Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven, who admitted he was driving when he was stung for $80 for travelling 61km/h in a 50km/h zone, Health Minister Annette King, former transport minister Mark Gosche, Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, Education Minister Trevor Mallard, Associate Social Development and Employment Minister Phillip Field, former immigration minister Lianne Dalziel, former associate Maori affairs minister Tariana Turia and Associate Revenue Minister David Cunliffe.
In July, the prime minister faced criticism after her motorcade was estimated by onlookers to be travelling at 140km/h to 150km/h in a 50km/h zone near Temuka. "
Two NZ police officers have also been caught speeding within the last 6 months.
So.....these so called upstanding leaders of society are in the LTSA's words..."prepared to kill".
What a bloody joke.....
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Originally Posted by Deano
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