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Santa took time out of his busy schedule to visit Ashburton for the town’s annual Santa parade on Saturday.
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06122014-TM-049
Crackdown on driving BY ERIN TASKER
ERIN.T@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
A tragic year on Mid Canterbury’s roads has prompted a summer crackdown on what police call the “fatal five”. Eight people have died on Mid Canterbury’s roads so far in 2014, making it one of the worst years on the district’s roads in recent memory, mirroring 2010 when eight people also died. Ashburton police senior sergeant Scott Banfield said the operation – dubbed Operation Capricorn – would focus on the main killers on our roads; alcohol, speed, restraints, driver behaviour and manner of driving. It began on December 1, and will
run through until January 31 next year. “If we save one life, it’s a success,” Mr Banfield said. A sixth area of focus – and one which has caused many problems in Mid Canterbury in the past – was intersections. As of January this year 13 people had died as a result of crashes at intersections around the Ashburton District over the past five years; a result of 482 crashes recorded in that period. They also resulted in 41 people sustaining serious injuries requiring hospital treatment, and another 175 being treated for minor injuries. Mid Canterbury’s worst crash of 2013, which claimed the lives
of three people, occurred at a rural intersection. Christchurch woman Sally Summerfield, her daughter Ella, and friend Abigail Hone, both 12, died when the car they were travelling in on Thompsons Track was hit by a car driven by Dutch tourist Johannes Appelman on Somerton Road. Appelman failed to stop at a stop sign. That crash occurred at Queen’s Birthday Weekend, and in June Canterbury’s road toll was sitting at 10, with six of those fatalities having occurred in Mid Canterbury. As of December 1, Canterbury’s road toll was sitting at 34, compared to a total of 46 last year, and 31 in 2012.
“Whether it’s our flat roads or uncontrolled intersections, but Canterbury has a disproportionate amount of fatal and serious injury crashes,” Mr Banfield said. The Canterbury road policing team had recognised there was a problem and was asking its staff to step up their fight against the biggest killers. “So there will be a significant increase in road policing staff redirected from around Canterbury, to here,” Mr Banfield said. “In that time there will be a significant increase in road policing staff, the booze bus will be here, we’ll be looking at speeding and the manner of driving at intersections.”
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ROAD DEATHS Mid Canterbury’s recent road deaths by year ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
2009 – 4 2010 - 8 2011 – 3 2012 – 6 2013 – 3 2014 – 8 to date
Worst years ■ ■ ■
1994 – 15 1980 - 11 1983 – 12
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