More than 100 drink drivers were caught out on Canberra roads throughout June, including a woman who reported a blood alcohol level more than five times over the legal limit.
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ACT Policing conducted 9802 breath tests over the month, resulting in 104 drink drivers and three drivers detected under the influence of illicit drugs taken off the road.
A 43-year-old Lyneham woman had her license immediately suspended after she was caught behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level of 0.258 on Saturday, June 29.
A further four drivers had their licenses suspended in the space of three hours on Thursday, June 27.
A 23-year-old McKellar man was among the drivers caught between 2am and 5am, returning a blood alcohol concentration reading of 0.149.
A 49-year-old Higgins man returned a reading of 0.103, along with a 22-year-old Macquarie man at 0.120 and a 34-year-old Harrison man at 0.093.
All four drivers were summonsed to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court at a later date.
The results were disappointing, Acting Superintendent of Traffic Operations Rod Anderson said.
"It’s alarming that despite our best efforts, people continue to choose to drink and drive," he said.
"Our message is simply not getting across … With every police car equipped with breath testing equipment you can be caught anywhere, anytime."
ACT Policing will now be targeting speeding motorists throughout July with officers having already seized a car on Monday.
A Canberra P-plate driver was caught driving at 180km/h in a 110km/h speed zone on the Federal Highway. The 23-year-old’s license was suspended for six months and his car seized for a three months.
Aside from the increased risk of injury and death, Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Operations Sergeant Mark Steel said speeding could also have expensive consequences.
"You may find yourself with heavy fines, loss of your driver’s license or even imprisoned," he said.
"What does it take for people to understand that speeding is extremely dangerous? The chances of surviving a collision when travelling at such speed are marginal at best."
Fines for speeding range from a minimum of $167 and the loss of one demerit point to more than $1800 and the loss of six demerit points for each offence.
ACT Policing last targeted speeding in April, during which time 521 traffic infringement notices were issued for speeding. A further 198 cautions were also issued.
