Traffic tickets save lives

A driver without his seatbelt on crosses the centre line while on his mobile phone in the rain.

Ticketing does make a difference – and it helps catch criminals, says Inspector Hugh Flower after an independent evaluation of Operation Life. As Manager of Road Policing and Operation Services for Tasman, Hugh kicked off Operation Life five years ago.

In 2002, Tasman District had the country’s highest number of road fatalities.

The operation aimed to improve road safety in Tasman by increasing the number and consistency of infringement notices given to motorists and subsequently reduce speeds, which in turn saves lives.

The notices were to focus on improving motorists’ behaviour, rather than non-compliance, such as expired warrants of fitness.

A truck driver crosses the centre line at Goose Bay.

“We were giving out far too many verbal warnings rather than issuing tickets. Some staff didn’t like doing it, but it’s part of the job and it gets results,” says Hugh.

The evaluation linked a 65 percent increase in the number of tickets issued to a 22 percent drop in the average number of fatalities in the four years after Operation Life began.

Fatalities in the rest of New Zealand reduced by nine percent over the same time.

“For the first time in several years we’re also seeing injury and non-injury crashes trending down,” says Hugh.

A bus crosses the centre line at Rakataura on SH1 Photos: Highway Patrol, Tasman District

Getting buy in from staff took considerable commitment from Hugh. Every year for the first four years, he made a presentation to every police officer at all 21 stations in Tasman district, which took a total of four to six weeks each time. He didn’t manage it last year but hopes to be back on the road this year, convinced it makes a difference.

“Some people pooh-poohed the idea but once they saw the value in writing tickets, attitudes changed. Some people did a complete 360, because the spin-off from stopping motorists is that it helps you catch crims. CIB and Dog Section staff are also writing tickets,” he says.

Operation Life will continue indefinitely. Reduced enforcement efforts in 2004 resulted in a spike in fatalities, so long-term consistency is the key, says Hugh.