Police breath testing saw more than 100 drivers per month caught on Canberra’s roads, with an additional 48 drivers found to be impaired by drugs.
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Figures released by ACT Policing on Monday showed between November and January 301 drink-drivers were caught driving while impaired, as officers conducted more than 42,200 roadside breath tests.
The results showed a decline in the number of drivers apprehended for drink driving, despite an additional 15,000 tests being conducted.
In the same period last year, more than 26,000 tests resulted in 343 drivers apprehended and 10 found to be under the influence of drugs.
ACT Policing traffic operations Station Sergeant Rod Anderson said results were encouraging. ‘‘We found a decrease in the number of positive tests for alcohol,’’ he said.
‘‘We also increased the number of random roadside drug tests we did and we saw an increase in the amount of drug use which is not overly surprising seeing that we were doing targeted drug testing.’’
Sergeant Anderson said every part of ACT Policing was working to remove impaired drivers from the roads.
He said a 35-year-old man was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.271 while driving in central Canberra, while a 45-year-old man returned a reading of 0.267 while driving in Red Hill.
Both men were repeat offenders.
The pair had their licences suspended and were summonsed to appear in court.
‘‘It is encouraging that the number of positive tests are down but what is more encouraging for me is an increase of 16,000 motorists were tested and are now aware that ACT Policing can and will be doing random testing anytime, anywhere,’’ Sergeant Anderson said.
Police will target speeding motorists in the ACT during February, after more than 6,650 speeding fines were issued in 2013.
Sergeant Anderson said 111 drivers were caught exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h last year.
‘‘At this time of year, when you have children going to school for the first time, it is very important that people slow down around schools.
‘‘The speed limits [posted on roads] are the maximum speeds drivers should travel. If it’s raining or there’s road works or something else going on, people need to slow down and drive to the conditions,’’ he said.
During the Christmas period, a 23 year-old Flynn man was detected driving at 140km/h in an 80km/h speed zone on Kingsford Smith Drive, Florey.
He was fined $1811 fine and lost 12 demerit points.
A motorcycle rider was detected travelling at 149km/h in an 80km zone on Adelaide Avenue and received the same penalty.
“Speeding is a choice people make and people can just as easily make the choice to slow down and save lives, Sergeant Anderson said.
‘‘Drivers need to realise that your actions behind the wheel have real consequences - you control whether they’re positive or negative.”
Fines for speeding in the ACT range from a minimum of $167 and the loss of one demerit point to more than $1,800 and the loss of six demerit points for each offence.
A New South Wales Police operation at the weekend found three brothers, a truck driver, and parents transporting their children who all tested positive for illicit drugs.
The operation at Gundagai and Tumut saw 58 drivers tested, with 16 returning positive tests for illicit drugs.
Three brothers, aged 27, 21 and 23, each tested positive when pulled over at different times, as well as four people driving with children aged 16 years or younger and a B-double truck driver.
A Police spokesperson said charges for the drivers would depend on the outcome of laboratory testing.