Disappointing driver behaviour to start Christmas holiday period

ACT Policing will continue to target dangerous behavior on Canberra’s roads this holiday period, with high range drink driving and speeding offences already detected.

Officer in charge of Traffic Operations Acting Station Sergeant David Wills said it appears some motorists in the ACT had little or no regard for safety.

“Most road users are doing the right thing, but if you’re doing more than 40, 50, 60 or 70kmh over the limit, in a fraction of a second you could kill yourself, other people in your car, or other road users,” Acting Station Sergeant Wills said.

“It’s the same if you drive impaired by any substance – alcohol, illicit drugs or prescribed medication. Your ability to safely control a vehicle and the margin for error becomes so small, it’s just stupid to do it, and there’s no valid excuse for our officers to see a reading more than two and a half times the legal limit.

“We said last week that police would be on the roads targeting dangerous driving this holiday period, and we have. While I hope these high-range offences are the last recorded in Canberra this year, sadly, I suspect we’ll see more.

Some of the reckless driving offences detected so far this Christmas holiday period include: 

• A red Mazda CX-5 observed at an estimated speed of 130kmh on Yarra Glen, Curtin (an 80kmh zone) about 5.45pm Sunday, 23 December 2018. The driver was apprehended a short distance later on Adelaide Avenue, Yarralumla having been detected travelling in excess of 150kmh in the 80km/h zone. 

  The 26-year-old female driver had a three-month-old infant in a baby capsule in the rear seat

  The driver was issued a Traffic infringement Notice for exceeding the speed limit by 45kmh or more and will be fined $1841 and lose 12 demerit points due to the Christmas New Year double demerit period.

• A black Suzuki Swift was detected at 102kmh on Caswell Drive, Aranda (a 60kmh area) about 10.00pm Sunday 23 December 2018.

  When this vehicle was stopped on Hayden Drive, Bruce, the 58-year-old female driver from McKellar provided a positive roadside screening test for alcohol. She was taken to Belconnen Police Station for further breath analysis where she recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.132, which is more than 2.5 times the legal limit. 

  The driver, who informed Police that she had travelled from Pearce to McKellar, was served with an Immediate Suspension Notice suspending her licence and will be summons to appear in the ACT Magistrate Court at a later date.

Double demerits will remain in place until Tuesday 1 January 2019.