Police focus on Heavy Motor Vehicles in the lead up to Christmas

2 Minutes•By NZ Trucking magazine•October 17, 2016

It‘s not just Santa who delivers the goods at Christmas time…

As the bulk of Christmas freight starts being delivered around the country, police want to make sure the drivers and freight arrive at their destinations safely.

Today police today launched Operation Haumaru, a national operation that will see the police commercial vehicle investigation unit (CVIU) work together with NZTA, other road policing partners, and HMV operators and drivers to reduce the risk of crashes during a time of increased freight movements on our roads.

The operation aims to prevent and detect driver fatigue, impaired driving, vehicle defects, overloading, and other safety issues, and will run simultaneously across the 12 police districts.

"With Christmas fast approaching the amount of freight that needs to be moved over a short period of time will increase dramatically, putting greater demands on both HMV drivers and vehicles,” says Inspector Bruce O‘Brien, manager CVIU.

During Operation Haumaru there will be a highly visible and active police presence on the roads across the country, particularly at high-risk times and locations.

“We will be focusing on the factors that contribute to serious crashes; speed, driving under the influence, distractions, fatigue and loss of control. We will also be conducting vehicle inspections of HMV to ensure they are fit for purpose on our roads,” says O‘Brien.

“We want to keep both the drivers of these HMVs safe, and also those who share the roads with them.”