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Drink Drive II – Day 1 results
Friday, 06 Nov 2009 02:53pmPolice are pleased with results from the first day of operation Drink Drive II, with a significant drop in drink driving offences detected by police compared to last year.
With 34,491 people breath tested so far, only 30 people have been charged. Last year, 108 drink driving offences were detected during the first day of the operation.
Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, commander of Traffic Services said “Although the results are encouraging, it’s still 30 too many”.
The operation period also remains fatality free.
Despite the pleasing results, there have been numerous acts of stupidity witnessed by police during day one of Drink Drive II:
*About 1.15am on Thursday 5 November 2009 police were conducting stationary RBT on King Georges Road, Beverley Hills when a vehicle was stopped by police and a rear seat passenger was seen to be holding an unrestrained three-year-old boy in her arms. Police advised her to place the child in an empty child seat which was in the vehicle. However, police discovered that the child seat was sitting loose on the seat and not properly fitted to the vehicle. The driver was instructed to fit the child seat properly and sit the child in the seat prior to leaving the site. The driver was issued a ticket for having an unrestrained child in the vehicle, which is a $253 fine with the loss of three demerit points.
*At 3.20pm on Thursday 5 November 2009 a 23yr old male was travelling north on the Hume Hwy, Gundagai. He was signalled to stop at a stationary Random Breath Testing site but allegedly failed to do so. At this time the accused was consuming alcohol whilst driving. He was stopped a short distance away on the Hume Hwy and checks revealed the vehicle was stolen the day before in Frankston, Victoria. Checks on the man also found he had never held a license and had an outstanding warrant. The man was arrested and taken to Gundagai Police Station where he was detected with a special range concentration of alcohol, with a reading of 0.02. He was charged with the warrant, special range drink driving and numerous traffic offences.
* At 6.30pm on Thursday 5 November 2009 a 42yo female stopped at a kebab shop within a shopping centre at Blacktown. Whilst exiting the parking spot she allegedly hit a parked vehicle behind her. Witnesses called to nearby police who attended and chased the car on foot. Whilst exiting the shopping centre the woman collided with a gutter which allowed police to catch the vehicle. She was tested with a positive result. Whilst being placed into a caged truck the woman allegedly dug her nails into one of the arresting police officers and drew blood. She was taken to Blacktown Police Station where police discovered that her licence had expired one and a half months earlier. Once tested she returned a reading of 0.271. She was subsequently charged with assault police, resist arrest, high range PCA, driving unlicensed and not provide particulars to other driver. Her licence was confiscated and suspended and she was ordered to appear at Blacktown Local Court on 15 December 2009.
* About 12.35am on Friday 6 November 2009 a 26yo male driving a Holden Apollo sedan in the suburb of Islington in Newcastle was stopped for a mobile random breath test. The driver recorded a positive result and was taken to Newcastle Police Station where he recorded a reading of 0.170. He was charged with high range drink driving and driving unlicensed. When the man was questioned about his drinking history he stated that he consumed 47 beers between 6.30pm and midnight.
“This is exactly the type of stupid behaviour we are targeting, and we will make no apologies for removing people like this from the road.” , Assistant Commissioner Hartley said in relation to the Islington incident.
Operation Drink Drive II continues until 11.59pm on Saturday night.