A member of the public captured these pictures on camera on December 18.

Police have released footage of a car driving on the wrong side of the road near Queenstown.

Queenstown police charged a 28-year-old overseas man with dangerous driving after it was reported on December 18 by a concerned member of the public.

Sergeant Christopher Brooks the incident served as a reminder for people to wear seatbelts.

Supplied Why should you wear a seatbelt? There are motorists driving on the wrong side of the road.

"Why should I wear my seatbelt? Reason number one: Because we have drivers on our roads that drive like this, and it just may be the difference in keeping you alive. If you don't put your seatbelt on you don't know what is coming around the corner. It is a life-saving action."

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The reminder comes as police launch a national campaign targeting speed, alcohol and seatbelts.

Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson said police would be holding a series of seatbelt and cellphone checkpoints around the region.

"Disappointingly, we are setting an increase (in offending). It is really quite bizarre."

There were over 70 people killed on New Zealand roads last year who were not wearing a seatbelt, he said.

"Typically, each year around 60 people killed in crashes were not wearing seatbelts, however last year that number jumped to over 90. So far this year, over 70 people have been killed while not wearing a seatbelt.

"Coupled with a reduction in the national wearing rates of seatbelts as reported in the latest Ministry of Transport national survey, this is a serious road risk that we can all do something about."

If people wore seatbelts, checked their speed and drove to the conditions, these alone should reduce the number of people seriously injured or killed on roads.

"We have only had four fatals in the Otago Lakes which is sitting on the same as last year with still a bit of time to go. It is a relatively small number, but definitely hospitalisation rates are significantly higher in the last year...It doesn't mean to say they would have survived (wearing a seatbelt) but the chances are more in their favour if they are."

The police would also be enforcing a nationwide 4km threshold for speed until January 31, he said.

"We will be monitoring the state highways..on the whole we have a big increase in traffic flows coming into the area."

Police from outside the region would also be brought in to help with checkpoints and vehicle stops, he said.

Meanwhile, Brooks said on Friday from Noon until 5pm, three separate police teams were deployed around 18 different Queenstown locations from quiet suburban streets to industrial areas.

"The idea was to be unpredictable...it wasn't necessarily about processing numbers more about (getting a message across) we can pop up any time, any where."

The results reflected the time of day, with people picked up with alcohol in their system, but not being over the limit, he said.

After 5pm, police ran a "booze bus" operation, he said.