Phil Allen, AA Traffic spokesperson says "this is a classic example of a serious incident that impacted on a very large number of motorists on Sunday. State Highway One was closed due to poor visibility from the smoke and this caused serious disruption to traffic. As soon as we received information from the authorities, we were able to quickly identify the location and warn motorists away from the area."

"Incidents like this are the reason we developed AA Traffic's Weekend Getaway service. A number of events in Auckland over the weekend attracted large numbers of people, many of whom would have been travelling home at this time. It would also have caught people who went north for the weekend to enjoy the last warm days of summer."

AA Traffic is a free service provided on www.aaroadwatch.co.nz and www.aamaps.co.nz. Subscription services are also available for commuter alerts, area alerts and 4-day trips using email and text messages. AA Traffic is also broadcast directly to some brands and models of in-car navigation units, such as Navman, and warn drivers if there is an incident on or near the route they are travelling, as well as providing the option of automatically calculating an alternate route to avoid the incident.

For further information contact

Phil Allen
General Manager - Geosmart
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 9668630
E. pallen@aa.co.nz.

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.