One driver returned a breath result of 0.179. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Police caught 113 Canberra drivers behind the wheel while under the influence last month.
In April, ACT Policing conducted more than 20,500 random breath and roadside drug tests as part of a campaign to target drink and drug driving in the ACT.
Among the people caught was a 33-year-old man who was stopped by police after running a red light shortly before midnight on 14 April. His breath analysis at Belconnen Police Station returned a result of 0.179 (the legal limit in the ACT is 0.05 for a driver with a full licence).
When spoken to by police, the man reportedly said it “wasn’t a big deal” because he didn’t hit anyone.
Other cases include an 18-year-old man who told police he had drunk a bottle of wine at his house before driving with a passenger in the car – he recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.149, and a 51-year-old man who hit a parked car in Theodore and returned a result of 0.170.
In Australia, almost one in three recorded fatal collisions involves a driver with alcohol or drugs in their system. Impaired driving is also classed as one of the fatal five driving behaviours – the major causes of injury and death on our roads.
Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Steel said it was still disappointing that in 2025, police were having to remind the community not to drive while impaired.
“It is especially disappointing to have to say this during National Road Safety Week. People are continuing to place themselves and others at significant risk,” Det. A/Supt Steel said.
“If you drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs, you significantly increase the risk of causing a collision and seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else.”
