A south-east road policing blitz has detected 218 offences across Casey and Dandenong, including 18 alleged drink and drug drivers caught over two nights.
Victoria Police conducted Operation Corral on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September, targeting impaired drivers and other high-risk driving behaviour across Melbourne’s south-east.
The operation involved the Road Policing Drug and Alcohol Section, State Highway Patrol and Solo Unit, with booze buses, highway patrol vehicles and police motorcycles deployed across the region.
Police conducted 3,382 preliminary breath tests, with 13 drivers allegedly exceeding the alcohol limit.
That represented a strike rate of about one in every 260 drivers tested.
A further five drivers tested positive for drugs from 167 roadside drug tests, equivalent to about one in every 33 drivers tested.
Berwick Driver Among Those Detected
Police said a 40-year-old Berwick man allegedly returned a positive preliminary breath test at a Narre Warren testing site before driving away.
The man was later intercepted on Cranbourne-Narre Warren Road and allegedly returned an evidentiary breath test reading of 0.063. Police said he is expected to be summonsed over several alleged driving offences.
South-East Road Policing Blitz Detects 218 Offences
Across the two-night operation, police detected:
- 49 speeding offences
- 37 unregistered vehicles
- 20 disqualified, unlicensed or suspended drivers
- 18 defect notices
- 16 offences for disobeying traffic signs or signals
- 13 drink-driving offences
- Seven vehicle impoundments
- Five drug-driving offences
- Three mobile phone offences
Victoria Police said there was zero tolerance for drink and drug driving and warned motorists of significant penalties for those caught driving while impaired.
A fully licensed driver aged over 26 caught with a blood alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.07 can receive a $627 fine and an immediate three-month licence suspension.
Penalties can increase for younger drivers, repeat offenders, motorists required to have a zero blood alcohol concentration and those returning higher readings.
Police said exceeding the prescribed concentration of drugs while driving carries a $627 penalty and a six-month licence suspension.
Police Warn More Operations to Come
Victoria Police said further major road policing operations targeting impaired drivers would be conducted over the coming months.
Motorists have been warned to expect testing anywhere and at any time.
Source: Victoria Police – 18 impaired drivers caught in south-east road policing blitz
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