Coolum Operation Bandit: Three drivers charged, 400+ drivers breathalysed

Three men will face court after more than 400 people were breathalysed as police issue a stern warning about driver safety these school holidays. Watch the video.

Three drivers have been charged after a police operation cracking down on drink drivers in an industrial estate at Coolum Beach.

Police said more than 400 people were breathalysed on Thursday, November 30, at a roadside breath test site on Quanda Rd in the Coolum industrial estate as part of Operation Bandit.

Of these 400 people, eight were issued with traffic infringement notices and three people were charged, including a 59-year-old Coolum Beach man caught driving almost twice the limit; a 44-year-old Coolum Beach man with traces of a drug in their blood or saliva; and a 46-year-old Caloundra man charged with driving unlicensed.

More than 60 crashes in the Coolum region between 2022 and 2023 have resulted in injuries, with one fatal crash.

Coolum officer sergeant Joel Bryant said in a statement police will be out in force over the school holidays.

“We want all road users to survive the drive and get home safely,” he said.

“There will be an increase in vehicle intercepts, roadside breath and drug testing and enforcement activities by police between now and the New Year festive period.”