Blitz on Desert Road speed

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3

Blitz on Desert Road speed

Motorists driving too fast and too close on the Dessert Road are to be the target of a Ministry c f Transport crack-down between now and Christmas. The MoT is worried about people driving too fast and too close on the highway, and not adjusting their speed to suit the road and

weather conditions, which can deteriorate rapidly. Radars have picked up cars traveling at speeds of 140 to 200 kilometres per hour on the road. Drivers often travel so close to the car in front that they cannot see the brake lights, says Waiouru Police Constable Keith O'Donnell, who believes lives will be lost on the road if driving doesn't improve.

Officers will use all the rnethods available to them including the new Hawk radar unit which can be operated from a moving patrol car. The speed of vehicles traveling both towards and away from the radar can be detected. Digitector checks, which use cables laid on the road, will also be used. Traffic on the Road will continue to be monitored after the crack-down, according to Traffic Sergeant Ron Buchannan of Taumarunui. Nine officers will operate from marked and unmarked cars during the blitz. The Dessert Road is well marked, maintained and features good road markings, but is not built for driving fast. Drivers should be alert for deceptive bends and dips, slippery patches of black ice or diesel spills, and extreme weather conditions such as wind gusts and unexpected blizzards.

Wanganui District Chief Traffic Officer Alex Campbell has said he attended an accident at the road's summit where drivers had ignored the extreme conditions of hail and ice and continued to travel too fast and too close, causing a five car pile-up.