Police have revealed the most memorable excuses officers have heard to try and justify speeding on the roads, as part of a new campaign for motorists to slow down.
Highway Patrol officers had "heard it all' as some Kiwi motorists try "just about every excuse in the book to get out of a speeding fine", says a police spokesperson.
"Summer’s here, and as part of our continued effort to remind drivers there is no excuse to speed, police are highlighting the worst, and most wild, excuses for speeding road policing staff in each district have come across.
"In a crash, even when you’re not at fault, speed remains the single biggest factor in whether you and your passengers walk away or are carried away."
Police added: “There’s nothing funny about attending a death on our roads."
In Auckland, police officers pulled over a man for speeding, and when asked why, he told cops that "he had just washed his car and was drying it" off.
The driver received a $120 fine and 20 demerit points.
Police said it was "safe to say it was an expensive blow dry."
Another driver in our largest city told officers it wasn’t his intention to drive too fast, it’s just that his "jandal had slipped" and stuck the accelerator pedal to the floor.
"We hate it when that happens," police consoled, in its media release.
In Canterbury, police stopped one driver for speeding who told officers they "didn’t like having cars in front of them, they liked the cars to be behind them".
Another driver told officers it wasn’t his intention to drive too fast, it was just that his speedometer was out. This was the reason for doing 148km/h in a 100km/h zone, police said.
Meanwhile, in Northland, officers were informed of a bathroom emergency.
"[The driver] told police they were a vegan and had needed to use the toilet, they’d eaten too many berries and 'been' three times in the last hour."
A similar excuse was attempted in Tasman, where a man told officers he was "desperate for a poo".
Other excuses in the region included a man who blamed his speeding on being "distracted by his wife’s talking".
"Unfortunately, he didn’t realise it would get worse after being issued with an infringement," police said.
In the Central District, officers stopped one driver for speeding and when asked why, he told police it wasn’t his intention to drive too fast, but "a wasp was on the accelerator pedal and he’d stamped on it to kill it, which must have sped him up."
Meanwhile, another person stopped for speeding suggested: "I’m almost out of petrol so I need to get to the service station quicker."
In Wellington, officers stopped a driver for speeding and when asked why, he told police his cruise control was set at 100, so it must be the car's fault he was over the speed limit.
Another driver told officers: "When did it change to 40? I didn’t agree to that."
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