The Police are again under pressure in New Zealand in their monomaniacal attention to speed.

Speeding motorists used to driving 10kmh over the maximum speed limit will not get away with it this weekend, as police trial a zero tolerance policy to cut road deaths.

Police say New Zealand’s 10 per cent tolerance zone is higher than other countries, and cutting it could help change the attitudes of motorists who claim lives.

From tomorrow, extra police will be out in force for Queen’s Birthday Weekend and, for the first time, motorists found to be more than 4kmh over the open road speed limit will be ticketed.

The Automobile Association predicts the move will anger motorists unaware of the change, or driving with inaccurate speedometers.However, as another life was lost on our roads yesterday, national road policing manager Superintendent Paula Rose said police needed new weapons to change driver behaviour. “There can be no excuses. We are killing our people and we want it to stop.”

Now, this is irritating the average Kiwi. We have slowed down. Lord, have we slowed down. I can clearly recall that you used to be able to do 120 km/h on the motorways — and we went faster on the back roads. Now, most of us do around 105 -110 on the very same motorways, in safer cars, and the road toll is down. As David Farrar comments.

How many road deaths are caused by people driving at 56 km/hr in a 50 zone? Or 106 kmhr on a multi-lane motorway?

This is naked revenue gathering, which will see thousands of people fined for driving just over the speed limit, unaware that the tolerance has been lowered.

I supported a lowered tolerance around school buses and crossings. There t makes sense. Hell I tend to slow down to 30 km/hr around a school bus or crossing.

But a blanket lowering of the tolerance is about meeting ticket and/or revenue quotas.

The new way we are getting caught is on city limits. THere is now a big, painted line about six feet wide on the road saying you are entering a town… and then you have to pay attention because the posted speed limit changes rapidly, and the cops will get you if you stray.

Which means that most of us despise the cops. In part, and this is not nice, but it is true, Speeding is fun. It is the risk thing. It is why Bruce Springsteen can write a song about street racing (always illegal in the US) and the male half of the population agree with him.

I now own a people carrier, which keeps my speed down. But I fondly recall the subaru coupe I drove before I had kids. And the joy of driving a road accurately, at speed, and safely is being destroyed by the need to look at the speedo.

However, the boss is wonderful, Here is a version of “The River” about the loss of of work, which also kills joy