Police checkpoints: Drivers on drugs, over alcohol limit nabbed in road safety blitz
They’ve been set up to catch those flouting coronavirus restrictions, but police checkpoints are also proving a huge road safety boost by catching drivers who never should have never been behind the wheel.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Motorists high on drugs, full of booze and unlicensed are being caught at coronavirus checkpoints amid concern about a spike in Victoria’s road toll.
One driver from Melbourne’s southeast was stopped in the city only to test positive for drugs when officers detected the “strong” smell of cannabis.
Another, who’d travelled from South Morang to North Melbourne with no good reason, had false plates on his car while a woman at a checkpoint near Ballarat had no driver’s licence at all.
Police warn too many drivers are taking unnecessary risks, with four people killed in four days this month alone.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy told the Herald Sun vehicle checkpoints, set up to ensure people are travelling with valid reason, had detected a multitude of traffic offences.
Automated number plate technology deployed to sites was proving beneficial in ratting out drivers with something to hide.
“Our enforcement activities are occurring at all those vehicle checkpoints,’’ Ms Murphy said.
“We are seeing people going through those who are affected by drugs, we’re impounding vehicles, and we’re seeing unauthorised drivers — either disqualified, suspended or without licences.
“We know whether you’re in an unregistered car, we know who’s likely to be driving the car, we know whether you’ve got a licence or not and we can absolutely target you for specific drug testing and we will conduct a preliminary breath test.”
Ms Murphy stressed highway and frontline response patrols were continuing as normal, with police determined to ensure those drivers still on the roads were doing the right thing.
A man drink and drug driving who travelled from Narre Warren to Langwarrin, then Frankston South to Dandenong to buy cannabis was among those roving police had caught.
“We will be out and about, we will be detecting, we will be enforcing and we will make sure that if you’re doing the wrong thing you are held to account,’’ Ms Murphy said.
“None of this is rocket science.
“People just need to be respectful.
“People as individuals have an absolute ability to save lives in many, many forms. And they have that ability by making good choices.”
Victoria’s road toll stands at 133, 37 fewer than at the same time last year but 14 up on the figure two years ago.
Accidents involving trucks and single-vehicle crashes in regional areas were causing particular concern, while two motorcyclists died in separate crashes on Saturday, one of them off-road.
There had also been a jump in accidents involving pedestrians, including the death of a man struck as he walked across a road in South Geelong.
MORE NEWS
471 VIRUS CASES, EIGHT DEATHS CONFIRMED
CLUB-JUMPING BIKIE LOST $500K LAMBORGHINI