At least two of the drivers were caught during random breath testing. Photo: ACT Policing.
Nine Canberra drivers have lost their licences since Friday as police enforce an “anywhere, anytime” approach to impaired driving.
Between Friday night and Sunday night, eight men and one woman were caught drink driving at locations across Canberra.
The first, stopped by police at about 6 pm on Friday, was a 38-year-old man in a grey Ford Falcon on Harricks Crescent, Monash. After a breath analysis, he was transported to the Tuggeranong Police Station, where he returned a reading of 0.051. He was issued an Immediate Suspension Notice and a Court Attendance Notice.
At about 11:30 pm the same night, police stopped and spoke with 50-year-old man standing next to his vehicle, who advised he was waiting for an Uber, but about 15 minutes later, the same officers stopped a Subaru Liberty on Brisbane Avenue, Barton, and identified the driver of the vehicle to be the same man they had just spoken with.
The man returned an alcohol reading of 0.119 at the City Police Station, and had his licence suspended and was told to attend court.
About 4:15 am on Saturday (31 May), police stopped a 21-year-old man driving a Mazda 6 on Ijong Street, Braddon, who returned a reading of 0.176. He too was issued with an Immediate Suspension Notice and a Court Attendance Notice.
At about 9:15 pm on Saturday, a 29-year-old woman without a current drivers licence was caught driving a Haval SUV on Coppins Crossing Road, Whitlam. A roadside screening test also returned a positive result, so she was transported to Belconnen Police Station where she underwent further breath analysis and returned 0.151.
The woman was arrested and transported to the ACT Regional Watch House, where she was charged with multiple offences and faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday (2 June).
About 11:30 pm on Saturday, police were conducting random breath testing on Parkes Way, Acton, when they observed a Holden Commodore stop about 200 metres before police and pull over to the side of the road. Police approached the 17-year-old male driver and requested that he undergo a roadside screening test. However, he “failed to comply with police directions”.
He was arrested and transported to City Station where he underwent breath analysis and eventually provided a sample that was sufficient for analysis, returning a result of 0.145. He was issued an Immediate Suspension Notice, suspending his right to drive in the ACT, and will be summonsed to attend court at a later date.
During the same random breath testing on Parkes Way, a 41-year-old male driver of a Chrysler SRT was also caught with an alcohol reading of 0.063. He was issued with an Immediate Suspension Notice and a Traffic Infringement Notice as a first-time offender.
About 4:05 am on Sunday (1 June), police were called to a collision in the Theatre Lane Carpark in the city where a Ford Falcon had “embedded head-on” into another car. Both drivers of the vehicles underwent a roadside screening test, with the male driver of the Ford Falcon returning a positive test of 0.080 during further analysis at the City Police Station. He was issued an Immediate Suspension Notice and a Court Attendance Notice.
Rounding out the weekend, a 25-year-old man driving a Mazda 2 on Emu Bank, Belconnen, at 5:05 am on Sunday returned a result of 0.083, while at 5 pm on the same day, a 38-year-old man driving an Isuzu truck on Wilkins Street, Mawson, returned a result of 0.082. Both had their licences suspended and were told to attend court at a later date.
ACT Policing says its officers will continue to target “those drivers who choose to ignore the well-known laws regarding impaired driving, as these nine drivers consider how they will get to work and social events now their licences have been suspended”.
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