A 48-year-old Bay of Plenty woman has been summonsed and will be appearing in the Rotorua District Court, charged with driving with excess breath alcohol.

Rotorua Police want to thank members of the public who reported a vehicle’s erratic driving on State Highway 30, Friday, June 28.

"Thanks to the information provided by those concerned people, Police were able to intercept the vehicle as it drove towards Rotorua," says Inspector Phil Gillbanks.

Disturbingly, the driver was found to be more than five times the legal breath alcohol limit. 

"Even worse, officers discovered she had travelled from New Plymouth and been the subject of numerous driving complaints along the way."

Inspector Gillbanks says the descriptions Police received of the vehicle’s manner of driving "are beyond concerning" and oncoming drivers were forced to take evasive action to avoid collisions.

"If you were one of the people who called Police about this driver, we can’t thank you enough – your actions likely saved lives.

"We can’t stress enough: if you’re drinking, do not get behind the wheel."

Across this weekend, a large number of Police will be patrolling roads across the country to make sure everyone gets to their destination safely. 

The patrols will have a particular focus on unsafe driving behaviour, including:

• Unrestrained occupants;
• Drivers impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue;
• Drivers distracted by mobile phones;
• Vehicles that are speeding.