Coast driver allegedly blows 0.227 in post new year RBT blitz

A drink-driving blitz on the Gold Coast has delivered a shameful report card, with an alarming number of motorists busted over the limit. Read what police found

Gold Coast police are aghast at a central breath-testing blitz showing one in 18 drivers over the alcohol limit, hours after the state logged its worst 12 months for road deaths in 15 years.

Officers conducted 199 random breath tests at Isle of Capri in Surfers Paradise on Wednesday – New Year’s Day – as part of Operation Mistletoe, a high-visibility police crackdown launched on December 13 to enforce road safety over the festive season.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said 11 drivers returned a positive result and were issued with a notice to appear in court.

It compares with 112 random breath tests in a southern Gold Coast blitz the same day which found just one person allegedly over the limit. Putting the shocking Isle of Capri results in further context, a New Year’s Eve breath-testing blitz of 2260 drivers in the freewheeling Northern Territory founded 21 motorists tested over the limit, meaning one in every 108 motorists pulled over up there was over the limit.

Among the Isle of Capri fails was a woman who allegedly blew 0.227, more than four times the legal limit of 0.05 and a high-range drink driving offence, which carries a mandatory minimum licence disqualification of six months.

A provisional driver was also charged after allegedly returning a reading of 0.026, in breach of the zero alcohol limit imposed on their licence.

The RBT's were part of Operation Mistletoe, a high visibility police blitz to enforce road safety over the holiday period.

Gold Coast police conducted another 112 random breath tests at Palm Beach where a 34-year-old man allegedly returned a reading of 0.128, a mid-range offence. He’ll face Coolangatta Magistrates Court on January 20.

The QPS spokeswoman said officers also clocked a motorcyclist speeding at 91km/h along the Gold Coast Highway at Burleigh Heads in a 50km/h speed zone. The rider was issued with a traffic infringement notice (TIN) for a hooning offence of exceeding the speed limit by more than 40km/h.

Separately police issued TIN’s across the day for a defective vehicle and driving on a disqualified licence.

The shocking results come as the state records its worst road toll in 15 years with 302 people killed in traffic crashes in 2024. It’s the deadliest period on Queensland roads since 2009. The state’s Police Minister Dan Purdie said it’s up to all drivers to turn the statistics around.

“The results we have seen from the Isle of Capri over the New Year period are extremely disappointing,” Minister Purdie said.

“Drink driving is among the top contributing factors of fatal crashes. Police alone cannot reduce the number of lives lost on our roads; motorists must make better decisions and take personal responsibility.”

Ahead of Christmas and the New Year, Australia’s top traffic police came together in solidarity with the families and loved ones of fatal crash victims to plead with drivers to change their attitudes and behaviour behind the wheel.

The top traffic officer for each state was united in the plea for driver safety.

The extraordinary intervention was prompted by News Corps Arrive Alive Campaign which surveyed 1134 people in December and found driver attitudes towards alcohol and drugs have become alarmingly lax. Almost one third of respondents admitted to having got behind the wheel while drunk, and more than two thirds said they have had a speeding fine.

Originally published as Coast driver allegedly blows 0.227 in post new year RBT blitz