A 17-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition on Sunday morning following this horrific crash. Photo: Supplied by ESA ACT.
Police have urged motorists to slow down, following a horror weekend on ACT roads with three serious drink driving and speeding incidents over the weekend.
A 17-year-old driver is in a serious condition in hospital, while two kids under the age of five who are lucky to be alive after their car rolled and another teenager was caught speeding 142 kilometres per hour in an 80 zone.
Detective Sergeant Marcus Boorman said he feels “extremely frustrated and angry” about the incidents.
“I don’t know what more police need to say and how many pleas we have to make to motorists out there, but when you drink and drive, when you speed, there is no excuse,” Detective Sergeant Boorman said.
“I am asking all motorists out there, to take care on the roads and slow down. Speed limits are not negotiable and they are there for a reason.
“Police and emergency services get very frustrated with having to attend these incidences. We see this sort of behaviour fairly regularly, so that comes back to the message of taking care on the roads. You get one chance.
“I have been doing this job for a long time, and the difference between life and death is minimal and sometimes it’s a matter of inches.”
Police said speed was a significant factor in the crash of 17-year-old P-plate driver who collided with a tree in Duffy in the early hours of Sunday morning (7 July).
“Look at this young fellow who is now in hospital after the collision in Duffy, his life will be changed significantly and so will the lives of people around him,” Detective Sergeant Boorman said.
Another 17-year-old was fined $4069 after he was caught speeding 62km per hour over the limit on Horse Park Drive, Harrison on Friday night (5 July). The teenager was riding a motorcycle, which was unregistered and uninsured, travelling 142km/h in an 80km/h zone.
“62 kilometres over the speed limit is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” Detective Sergeant Boorman said. “That person was dealt with but it’s not about the fines, it’s about correcting behaviour and hopefully by doing that, that person will not end up in the hospital with the other young fellow.”
In another incident, a 31-year-old man rolled the ute he was driving on Piallago Avenue near Canberra Airport, with two children under the age of five in the car. The man later recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.212, more than four times the legal limit.
“When you are driving with that sort of alcohol in your system, the impairment is a significant factor,” he said. “That person will have a meeting with a magistrate in the near future.
“Look at the collision with the young children in the car. They were very lucky, and that person is an idiot.”
