Police will saturate Wyndham over the next six weeks as part of a statewide road safety blitz with drivers warned they could be caught “anywhere at any time”.
The Summer Stay campaign was launched last week and will run until January 4 in a bid to reduce road trauma over the high-risk holiday season.
Road users can expect to be breath-tested, drug-tested and speed-checked during four separate operations targeting speed, impaired driving, fatigue, driver distraction and seatbelt offences. Fifteen high-priority areas, including Wyndham, have been identified based on alcohol and drug-related road trauma levels and will be the focus for police.
Superintendent Neville Taylor says police will be checking speed and conducting random drug and alcohol testing around the clock.
“We will be using all available resources to ensure as many people as possible stay safe and stay alive during the festive season,” he said.
“Our officers will be everywhere. You will see our buses and patrol cars on major roads and in and around entertainment districts, but you will also find them on the back roads home. You can be caught anywhere at any time. We continue to see too many deaths and injuries as a result of bad driving behaviour. The message is pretty simple: if you are going to drink or take drugs, don’t drive.”
With many parties and get-togethers taking place leading into Christmas and the New Year, Acting Sergeant Darin Sheahan, of the Wyndham highway patrol, urged people not to take risks.
“We’ll have more booze buses on the road and increased mobile patrols,” he said.
“We’re putting all of our resources into this campaign and those who do the wrong thing can expect to be caught.
“Fatigue is a major concern over the holiday period because many people drive long distances, so we’ll be closely monitoring our major highways.
“With drink-driving, our advice is simple. If you think you’ve over the limit, you probably are, so don’t drive.”
