Unsafe and illegally modified vehicles are being targeted by Dunedin police, who are concerned about the blase attitude of some drivers.
The red-hot wheels of a van carrying three tonnes of gear, and towing a trailer with a further 2.2 tonnes, caught the attention of police officers in Dunedin on Friday night. They discovered one of the vehicle's brake assemblies had reached a temperature of 450degC.
Dunedin road policing manager Senior Sergeant Phil McDouall said the brake assemblies of a heavy truck braking heavily would register at about 100degC.
"Police were able to see the front wheels of the van glowing red hot in the dark so they put the heat tester on it. It's amazing this guy's brakes didn't disintegrate. And the trailer's brakes were faulty, so it had no braking ability," he said.
The van driver was travelling from Christchurch to Invercargill with plants and other horticultural supplies, including fertiliser and bird seed.
He was made to leave the trailer in Dunedin and carried on to Invercargill "with a few tickets", Snr Sgt McDouall said.
A dozen police officers and a New Zealand Transport Agency vehicle inspector were involved in an eight-hour operation targeting unsafe and illegal vehicles in Dunedin from 7pm on Friday.
Twenty-six infringement notices were issued to drivers and passengers.
Between 60 and 80 vehicles were examined, 14 of which were written off the road, along with the faulty trailer.
Some of those deemed illegal or unsafe were "boy-racer type cars", which had non-certified modifications such as cut springs, extra exhausts and tyres so large they extended beyond the vehicle frame, Snr Sgt McDouall said.
Many of the vehicles inspected had bald tyres, which was particularly troubling in winter, he said.
"A few even had steel showing through on the tyres. The rubber on tyres needs to be pretty sturdy, especially in winter when it is difficult to stop in icy conditions," he said.
Other faults included loose steering wheels. Some cars did not have warrants of fitness because of faults which could not be fixed or were costly to repair.
"Virtually every car had more than one person in it, and we are concerned about the blase attitude of a lot of drivers about their vehicle defects. We also found a number of people driving around on learner licences, which they were breaching," Snr Sgt McDouall said.
Police would continue to target vehicles to ensure all motorists were safe, he said.
