New Zealand’s motorists are being urged by Police and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to keep themselves and others safe by remembering the basics when driving this Labour Weekend.

Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing, reinforced the continual message from previous long weekends that staff will be visible patrolling roads with a focus on reducing any harm.

“Our teams continue to work tirelessly throughout the country to make sure everyone remains safe on our roads every day and long weekends are no different.

“There’s no room for complacency and we want motorists to take note whenever and wherever they are travelling.

We all have a responsibility to drive and ride safely on our roads.

Six lives were unfortunately lost on our roads over Labour Weekend last year and we are determined not see a repeat of this.”

Superintendent Greally said a large volume of work is being done within districts focused on road safety and advised those who are caught offending can expect enforcement action to be taken.

“Each of our policing Districts will have their respective operations and plans in place to ensure travellers can make it to their destinations safely.

“Those who blatantly choose to drive dangerously whether it’s driving without a seatbelt or impaired by drugs and alcohol, using a mobile phone and speeding, they can expect to be ticketed.”

Labour Weekend can be an exciting time for many.

After a long winter, we know people are keen to capitalise on the public holiday – and that means holiday road trips, with more traffic on the roads.

NZTA Director of Land Transport Brent Alderton said with more traffic comes the need to take more care on the road.

“Holiday traffic means there will be congestion on highways in and out of the main urban centres on Friday and Monday.

We’re asking everyone to make safe choices to protect themselves and others.

“Please be patient and drive at a safe speed, especially around and through road works.

Crews have been out in recent months renewing and rebuilding roads across New Zealand’s state highway network and we urge drivers to take extra care at work sites.”

NZTA has updated its popular Holiday Hotspots Journey Planning Tool for Labour Weekend.

The interactive traffic prediction map shows drivers where and when traffic is expected to be heaviest, based on travel patterns from previous years.

“We encourage drivers to use the Journey Planner tool as it allows you to plan your trip with travel time estimates, and provides updates on potential delays, road works and road closures,”  Alderton said.