Two men have been charged with high-range drink driving in the Sydney metropolitan area at the weekend.
About 12.10am (Sunday 31 March 2019), police were called to Condamine Street, Balgowlah, after reports a car had crashed into parked vehicles.
Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command attended and located a VW Golf and its 19-year-old male driver, along with two passengers, a man and woman.
The driver – a Neutral Bay man – was subject to a roadside breath test which returned a positive reading, before he was arrested and taken to Manly Police Station, where he was subsequently subjected to a breath analysis which returned a reading of 0.222.
He was charged with high-range PCA and is set to face Manly Local Court on Wednesday 1 May 2019.
About 12.20pm (Sunday 31 March 2019), officers attached to St George Highway Patrol stopped an unregistered Holden Commodore travelling along Sir Bertram Steven's Drive in the Royal National Park.
The 43-year-old male driver was subject to a roadside breath-test which returned a positive result, before he was taken to Sutherland Police Station.
He was subject to a breath analysis which returned a reading of 0.249, and subsequently issued a Future Court Attendance Notice for the offences of high-range PCA, drive with expired licence, and use unregistered vehicle, and issued a suspension notice to prevent him from re-applying for his licence.
The Yagoona man is set to face Sutherland Local Court on Thursday 2 May 2019.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy of the state's Traffic & Highway Patrol Command, said those that are drink driving put themselves, their passengers, and other road users at great risk.
"In 2018 police conducted 5,531,251 random breath tests, charging 17,989 with drink driving. That's an alarming number of people who have taken a selfish risk, risking not only their licence, but the safety of themselves, their family, and other members of the public.
"We know that drink driving is a factor in around one in every seven fatal crashes in NSW. Of the drink drivers/riders who were killed in the five-year period from 2013 to 2017, 93 per cent were men and 67 per cent were under the age of 40," Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.
The effects of alcohol are wide ranging and impossible to avoid. After a big night out you may still have alcohol in your system for much of the next day. Alcohol is a depressant and:
• Slows your brain so that you can't respond to situations, make decisions, or react quickly.
• Reduces your ability to judge how fast you are moving or your distance from other cars, people or objects.
• Gives you a false sense of confidence – you may take greater risks, thinking that your competence behind the wheel is better than it really is.
• Makes it harder to do more than one thing at a time – while you concentrate on steering, you could miss seeing traffic lights, cars entering from side streets, or pedestrians.
• Affects your sense of balance – a big risk if you ride a motorcycle.
• Makes you drowsy – increasing the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.
