8 October 2013

More nabbed this long weekend

8 October 2013 | By johnboy

ACT Policing issued 127 Traffic Infringement Notices (TINs) and 54 cautions over the Labour Day long weekend (October 4-7) despite a heavy police presence on Canberra roads.

ACT Policing identified 59 speeding offences over the period. On Friday a man with a provisional licence was detected riding a motorcycle on Drake Brockman Drive, Higgins in excess of 140kph. The speed limit on that road is 80kph. He received a fine of $1811 and lost all 12 points from his licence.

On Sunday a woman was caught traveling at 138kph in a 100kph zone on the Monaro Highway, Theodore. A child was in the vehicle at the time. The driver was fined $664 and lost 8 points from her licence.

These results are a slight drop from the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June.

Police conducted 1342 roadside breath screening tests over the long weekend period with 23 drivers taken into custody for exceeding their relevant prescribed concentration of alcohol.

This is also a slight drop from 27 drink-driving offences during the June long weekend.

About 4.50am on Friday a 24-year-old male was detected driving on Constitution Avenue, City with a Blood alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.134. The special licence holder was issued with an Immediate Suspension Notice (ISN). He was detected driving again at 6.20am that morning. He returned a BAC of 0.103 and was arrested.

About 4.50pm on Monday a 32-year-old woman returned a BAC of 0.160 after being stopped on Florey Drive, MacGregor. An ISN was issued, the woman will appear in court at a later date.

Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Operations Sergeant Mark Steel said despite the small drop in offences, some drivers still weren’t getting the message.

“It’s no secret that motorists that speed or drink drive contribute to collisions on our roads that cause death or serious injury,” Sergeant Steel said.

“We’re out there for the community in the interests of road safety, and we’ll continue our efforts to stamp out dangerous driving practices.”

ACT Policing is targeting speeding during the month of October as part of its multi-agency road safety strategy.