Three taxi drivers were ordered off the road because of potential fatigue and log book issues during a police blitz in Queenstown one night last week.
Police have revealed they stopped and checked 33 taxi drivers in the tourist town last Thursday night and say three had to be put off the road due to potential fatigue and log book issues.
Senior Sergeant McRandle says this is a basic safety issue - if you’ve been driving for more than 13 hours, you need to stop and have 10 hours rest.
Impairment has a huge impact on your ability to drive safely, he says.
“We want people to enjoy their time in our region and to be safe while they’re travelling in passenger vehicles.”
Police and New Zealand Transport Agency staff also inspected tour operators and passenger vehicles going to and from the ski fields over the weekend.
There were 141 drivers stopped for vehicle inspections, as well as log book checks and other prevention checks.
“Although the majority of vehicles seen and drivers spoken to were complying with the relevant legislation, there were still some who were not, and we will be following up alongside police in applicable cases," said Kelvin Lloyd, NZTA Manager Road Compliance Southern.
Senior Sergeant McRandle says while the ski field operators were found to be performing really well, "unfortunately we identified issues with 12 other operators".
The most common issue was log book-related, which is what helps manage fatigue and rest breaks accurately, he says.
“We know that lack of sleep and burning the candle at both ends can be a disaster waiting to happen when behind the wheel of a vehicle.
“Our officers have to attend terrible crash scenes where fatigue has led to death or serious injury.
"That extra hour or two behind the wheel is just not worth it."
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