Anti drink-drive message ignored
By Simon Wong and Maike van der Heide - The Marlborough ExpressPolice are dealing with a "lost generation" who ignore anti drink-driving messages, as the number of people under 30 convicted of repeat drink-driving in Marlborough increased threefold in the past five years.
Twenty-one Marlborough people aged 17 to 29 were convicted on their second or subsequent drink-driving offence in 2005, and 59 were convicted on the same charge in 2009.
Marlborough's acting area commander, Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan, said the message clearly was not getting through to this age group.
"It is a worry that the message is not getting through and it appears to be a lost generation as far as the anti drink-drive campaign goes."
Acting Senior Sergeant Tony Yardley, of Blenheim, said the increase in offending was not good, but said the number of people being arrested for drink-driving had dropped significantly in Marlborough in the last few months.
This was partly due to increased enforcement and a change in drivers' attitudes, he said.
Those in the 20-29 age bracket were among the worst repeat offenders in terms of the number of convictions and also in the top three highest breath and blood alcohol readings last year. Population data from Statistics New Zealand show people aged 20 to 29 make up about 9 per cent of Marlborough's total population, but in 2009 they accounted for 41 per cent of second or subsequent drink-driving convictions in court in Blenheim.
It is difficult to blame an increase in population on the rise in convictions, as the population data available shows the number of people in their 20s in Marlborough increased just 220 from 4250 in 2006 to 4470 in 2009.
The Ministry of Justice released the data to The Marlborough Express under the Official Information Act.
The numbers were gathered based on those convicted on their second or more drink-driving offence and the same offender would be counted multiple times if convicted within the same calendar year.
Cases from the Blenheim District Court, the High Court at Blenheim and Youth Courts were used to define the number of offences in Marlborough.
The statistics come as New Zealand police prepare to join forces with their Australian counterparts in a 12-hour operation to fight alcohol-related crime.
Police, Maori wardens, community patrols, health agencies and other interest groups will target drink-drivers and underage drinkers and conduct spot checks at licensed premises nationwide.
Named Operation Unite, the campaign was an opportunity for police to "show a united stance and keep alcohol-related issues in the public eye", specialist operations acting assistant commissioner Win Van der Velde said.
All alcohol-related offenders would be given a wallet-sized card with the Alcohol and Drug Association's helpline number, Mr Van der Velde said.
Marlborough members of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) worked alongside the police at a checkpoint last week and would do so again tonight.
Their involvement was a "positive sign", Mr Sloan said.
"They're active in that area, and it's good to see because [police are] not the only agency that deals with it."
Mr Yardley said such initiatives made a big difference to young people.
From 7.30pm to midnight tonight, Marlborough's sober drivers can expect rewards in the form of lollipops, stickers and safety tips from SADD members.
SADD representative Tymara Oberdries, a Marlborough Girls' College student, said positive affirmation for safe drivers was the objective of the operation.
Last week, drivers' responses were friendly as they did not expect a reward and the operation put police in a different, positive perspective too, Miss Oberdries said.
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