Canberra drivers have been caught behaving badly behind the wheel throughout the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, including one teenager driving almost twice the speed limit because she was “late to a family dinner”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
ACT Policing issued 137 Traffic Infringement Notices and 51 cautions between June 7 and 10 for what Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Operations Sergeant Rod Anderson described as “extremely alarming” behaviour.
This included 52 speeding offences, one of which involved an 18-year-old being caught travelling at 113km/hr in a 60km/hr speed zone on Parkes Way in Acton.
The Campbell woman, who already had one previous infringement for speeding in the past 18 months, told police she was speeding because she “was late to a family dinner”.
A 24-year-old Farrer man with two previous speeding offences in the past 18 months was also caught driving at 131km/hr in a 60km/hr speed zone on Gunghalin Drive, while a 19-year-old Gowrie man was caught driving at 134km/hr in an 80km/hr speed zone on Yarra Glen in Curtin.
All three drivers were issued with a Traffic Infringement Notice for $1811 and lost 12 demerit points.
There were no major traffic incidents in the ACT, but the results from the weekend were disappointing, Sergeant Anderson said.
“If you’re speeding you dramatically increase the risk of serious injury or death should you be involved in a collision,” he said.
“Drivers need to remember speed affects their ability to stop their car to prevent collisions. Likewise, it’s extremely alarming that despite our best efforts, people continue to choose to drink and drive.”
Police also conducted 2439 roadside breath tests over the weekend, resulting in 27 drivers being taken into custody and 12 Immediate Suspension Notices being issued.
Officers attended a crash on Aikman Drive in Lawson around 11.10pm on Saturday, where a 68-year-old male driver returned a positive roadside screen test for the presence of alcohol. A later sample recorded a result of 0.137grams and the man was issued with an Immediate Suspension Notice.
A 28-year-old man also had his licence suspended after returning a result of 0.208grams as part of a random breath test around 8.30pm on Saturday. The driver, who had two previous related convictions, was arrested and issued with an Immediate Suspension Notice.
