Police are appalled at drivers who continue to drink-and-drive as Operation Safe Arrival concludes, including one driver who was caught twice in the same day with high-range drink-driving, after doing a burnout, NSW Police say.
About 9.30pm last night (28 January 2018), a 41-year-old man with a P1 Provisional licence was stopped after he allegedly conducted a burnout in a Holden SS Commodore on Maple Street Cabramatta. He was arrested after submitting a positive breath test and taken to Cabramatta Police Station where he returned a reading of 0.233.
He was charged with high-range drink-driving, not display P-plates, conduct burnout, and drive prohibited vehicle. He had his licence suspended on the spot.
About 12.30am this morning (Monday 29 January 2018), police stopped the same car on Maple Street, following reports of a car doing burnouts. The same driver was arrested after again supplying a positive breath test and taken to Cabramatta Police Station where he returned a reading of 0.235.
He was charged a second count of high-range drink driving, not display p-plates, and drive prohibited vehicle, as well as drive whist suspended. He is due to appear at Liverpool Local Court on Monday 19 February 2018.
Commander of the State’s Traffic and Highway Patrol, Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said the message that drink-driving and speeding kills is not getting through.
"I cannot believe the sheer idiocy I have seen on our roads during this operation.
"Throughout Operation Safe Return we caught nearly 5,000 people speeding and 285 drink-driving.
"It’s quite simple, people are dying on our roads because of poor decisions made by drivers and riders.
"We will continue to take people off the roads who choose to drink and drive, or who can’t stay within the speed limit.
"If people don’t stop making stupid decisions on our roads, the unfortunate reality is that many more people will die this year," Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.
Operation Safe Return commenced at 12.01am on Thursday 25 January 2018 and concluded at 2359 hours last night (Sunday 28 January 2018).
Throughout the entirety of Operation Safe Arrival:
- 4898 infringements were issued for speeding,
- 7714 other infringements were issued,
- 285 people were charged with drink-driving,
- 303 major crashes were reported, resulting in 91 people injured, and
- Three people died (one less than during the same operation last year).
