End of the road for six drivers

By Rebecca Fraser
A BOOZE bus operation in Hampton Park nabbed six drink-drivers at the weekend, one man being caught more than two-and-half times the legal alcohol limit.
In the police operation on Pound Road, about 1000 motorists were breath-tested and a satellite car parked nearby in Remington Drive also nabbed two drivers over the limit.
Sergeant Pat McGavigan of Casey Traffic Management Unit said 27 motorists who did not live in Remington Drive had been tested and many had struggled to explain why they had turned into the dead-end road.
Among those caught was an Endeavour Hills woman on her P-plates and a 48-year-old Narre Warren South man who blew .138. A disqualified motorist was also caught driving without a licence.
Sgt McGavigan said the Narre Warren South resident was driving a company car at the time and was meant to have an interlocking device in place due to a previous drink-driving conviction.
He will now be charged on summons to appear in court.
Sgt McGavigan said the latest booze bus operation showed that if people continued to run the gauntlet they would eventually be caught.
He also called on the public to keep policing themselves in a bid to avoid another horrific road toll.
Last year, Casey had the worst municipal road toll in the state, with 17 deaths on local roads and in 2004 the city also had the highest fatality rate with 14.
In February, Casey recorded its first road death this year when a 43-year-old Hampton Park man died after being hit by a car on the Princes Highway at Doveton.
Since then, no other motorists have died on Casey roads and Sgt McGavigan said he was keen to keep it that way.
Sgt McGavigan said at this time last year 11 people had already died on Casey’s roads and urged people to continue to do the right thing and drive to the conditions.
“Obviously people are doing the right thing and we want them to keep doing it. We want people to police themselves. If they pass a car they should check their speed and if they have had a drink they need to think about whether they should be driving.
“I am proud that we are only at one but I do not want (the road toll) to blow out,” he said.
Sgt McGavigan said police would be using speed cameras, motorbikes and both unmarked and marked cars to continue to detect motorists disobeying the law.
He said people running red lights, ignoring stop signs caused last year’s road deaths, pedestrians walking out on the road and people speeding.
“There is no one set pattern and it was a case of all different things being put together.
“Police are making a concerted effort through CIU and general officers to have a visible presence but drivers also need to police themselves,” he said.