People organising Christmas functions should spend less on alcohol and more on providing non-alcoholic drinks, substantial food and transport to ensure everyone gets home safely, police say.
The legal alcohol limit is a limit and not a target to reach, Waikato district road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said today.
This year young people, in breach of their graduated licences, had been involved in three double fatality crashes and one triple fatality crash, he said.
"Our young people are particularly vulnerable but they are not the only ones. Eighteen of the 48 people who have lost their lives on Waikato roads this year died in crashes where alcohol was a contributing factor and they were people from across the age spectrum.
"With a bit of consideration we can remove alcohol as a factor, with simple steps such as providing transport home for workers after your function - think what you could be saving."
Company Christmas functions were about celebrating the festive season and welcoming in the summer holiday break with workmates, not about drinking to excess, he said.
The dangers of over-indulging in alcohol was shown in the violent start to the week in Hamilton, with a number of people hospitalised in domestic incidents and several officers assaulted.
Traditionally, this time of year always saw an increase in domestic violence while at the same time people were consuming more alcohol with longer daylight hours, city area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said.
"On Monday afternoon, a man believed to have been under the influence of some sort of substance assaulted four staff in Hamilton East before he was subdued and then last night our staff dealt with a number of other serious incidents."
Mr Lindsay also urged restraint over alcohol consumption.
"We would urge anyone feeling under pressure, to seek help. The answer lies with the vast range of government and non-government agencies specialising in assisting those in difficulty - not in the bottom of a bottle."
