The number of drivers nabbed for being under the influence of drugs and alcohol during five days of the Melbourne Cup weekend in Wyndham is “a big problem”, police say.
Wyndham highway patrol’s Sergeant Aaron Prentice-Evans said Operation Furlong, a five-day operation with an increased police presence on the roads, delivered “disappointing results”. Three drivers were caught driving under the influence of drugs; another seven were caught drink-driving.
“The main focus of the weekend was impaired drivers. They’re always highly represented in road trauma over long weekends,” Sergeant Prentice-Evans said.
“Seatbelt offences (21) and mobile phone offences (three) are still high despite years of concerted efforts.
“We’ve put plenty of information out there about how dangerous and serious these offences are, but people seem to still be offending.”
After 24 motorists were nabbed for driving at excessive speed over the five-day period, Sergeant Evans-Prentice urged drivers to take their time on the road. “It’s better to get to the destination alive than not at all,” he said.
Four vehicles were impounded during the five-day operation and 10 unlicensed drivers were caught with five disqualified.
The Wyndham highway patrol’s focus for the next two weeks is Operation Splinter, during which a combination of marked and unmarked patrol cars will focus on the sort of offences that endanger motorcyclists.
“Motorists speeding, driving carelessly and dangerously, failure to give way and distracted driving will be on our radar,” Sergeant Evans-Prentice said. “For motorcyclists, we’ll be on the lookout for dangerous driving, speed and the manner in which motorcyclists drive.”
Operation Splinter is a TAC-funded operation.
