A drink-driver, found to be almost five times over the legal limit, is expected to be charged after attacking a passenger of another vehicle in a road rage incident.
Police expect to charge on summons the driver, a 34-year-old Werribee man, with serious offences including assault, careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and drink-driving.
The incident occurred last week when the man was involved in a two-car collision on Tarneit Road.
The driver allegedly got out of his vehicle and pushed the driver of the other car in the chest before fleeing the scene.
Police were able to track him down, with the help of a quick-thinking passenger from the other car who had taken a photo of the man and his car at the crash site.
Wyndham highway patrol’s Sergeant Graeme Crouch said the photo of the suspect and his car was shown to officers after they arrived at the scene. They eventually traced the driver back to a property in Werribee.
“[At the property] they found a vehicle matching not only in damage but displaying consistent damage to what was alleged to have occurred on Tarneit Road,” Sergeant Crouch said.
“The man accused of driving and the assault, who was in the picture, was standing next to the car.”
The man underwent a breath test and recorded a blood-alcohol reading of .241.
Victoria Police is concerned about the prevalence of road rage incidents across the western suburbs.
Last year, Wyndham road policing adviser Senior Sergeant Damien Madden said an investigation across Wyndham, Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay had found tailgating to be one of the major factors, with some drivers deliberately ramming other vehicles.
“It [the investigation] found incidents predominantly occurred during the afternoon peak on weekdays with the major hotspot in Wyndham at Dohertys Road in Laverton North,” he said. “A multitude of issues can lead to road rage, but road congestion plays a part.”
With a growing number of road users resorting to using smartphones and dashboard cameras to record incidents, Senior Sergeant Madden warned people to be cautious.
“Although this information can be helpful for police, it’s a decision each person needs to make according to individual circumstances,” he said. “We don’t want people to potentially endanger themselves or others [by taking photos or recording video footage].”
