By JESSE GRAHAM
DRINK drivers were in the cross hairs as part of the Yarra Ranges Highway Patrol’s Operation Regal, but police said drivers were well behaved over the long weekend.
Operation Regal ran from Friday 6 to Monday 9 June, with police targeting dangerous drivers as thousands drove through the Yarra Valley.
Yarra Ranges Highway Patrol Leading Senior Constable (LSC) Graeme Rust said that 357 offences were recorded in the Yarra Ranges Police Service Area (PSA) – which ranked the area second across the state for offences.
Of those offences, 17 people were charged with drink driving – the highest result across the state.
Leading Sen Const Rust said the results were representative of the commitment police in the Yarra Ranges had towards keeping the roads safe.
“The personnel in the Yarra Ranges did an outstanding job to reduce the number of collisions and drunk drivers on the road,” he said.
“But it also shows that there were 17 people out there silly enough to try and beat the odds,” he said.
One of the standout incidents from the weekend included a ute driver who was intercepted in Coldstream on Saturday 7 June.
The driver, a 19-year-old Fitzroy man, had two other passengers in the two-seater vehicle, his rear P-plate not displayed, two bald back tyres and police detected alcohol in his system with a preliminary breath test.
However, the driver refused to accompany police officers back to the station for a follow-up test.
“He’s obviously indicated the presence of alcohol in his breath for us to make a request to accompany police,” Leading Sen Const Rust said.
“(But) he flat-out refused more than once,”he said.
Leading Sen Const Rust said the driver would appear at the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court charged with refusing to accompany police for a breath test, driving without a rear P-plate, using an un-roadworthy vehicle and carrying a passenger occupying the same seating position as another.
Refusing to accompany police for a breath test carries fines of up to $2000, loss of licence for up to two years and up to 18 months imprisonment,
Leading Sen Const Rust said despite the incredible numbers heading into – and out of- town over the long weekend, drivers were mostly well-behaved.
For drivers on public holidays and long weekends, his advice was simple:
“Patience is a pre-requisite – basically, you must obey the road laws” he said.
“If you cover your bases and plan your trip well ahead, you will usually have a good time.”
