Police reward motor vehicle compliance

Tauranga, like many communities in New Zealand has its problems with illegal street racing, sustained loss of traction, noisy car stereo systems, and other driving behaviours that are bundled together and labelled "boy racers".

In 2007 the Tauranga City Council enacted a bylaw that prohibited all motor vehicles under 3500kgs from entering a schedule of streets in the city's industrial estates between the hours of 9.00pm and 5.00am.

The bylaw was aimed at not just addressing illegal driving behaviours, but also the associated crime activity including vandalism and graffiti, broken glass, and burglary. The bylaw has been successful in eliminating these activities in the designated areas. There has been a degree of displacement into other locations, but the large gatherings of cars and spectators has largely been dispersed.

The Tauranga Police have recently conducted a series of 'checkpoints' to monitor compliance with motor vehicle regulations. Aimed at illegal modifications, such as over-sized exhausts, modification or removal of suspension components, and other potentially dangerous structural and mechanical alterations, the Police report that they were both surprised and pleased with the overall level of compliance.

I applaud the initiative of the Police with their handling of these checkpoints. Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, Officer in Charge Road Policing, tells me that while compliance policing has always been firm, the only incentive for getting your vehicle up to standard was that drivers didn't get a ticket. Ian was looking for a positively reinforcement to reward in some small way those young people who had got it right. Furthermore Ian saw it as an opportunity for enhancing the relationship between the Police with that 'fraternity' that would result in improved compliance.

He approached the sub-regional Joint Road Safety Committee for some funding, and then negotiated a sponsorship deal with John Warder, the owner of the McDonalds franchises in Tauranga, to give food vouchers to the drivers of compliant motor vehicles. These are a tangible reward that can be redeemed at any time of the day or night and are an excellent example of how businesses can support road safety.

This is proactive road policing at its very best and in glaring contradiction to the "round them up and crush them" mentality that seems so prevalent.