POLICE recorded 255 driving offences in Casey over the Grand Final long weekend – the second highest tally in the state.
The high number was a result of traffic cops saturating the municipality as part of Operation Scoreboard, a state-wide initiative that ran from 1 to 4 October and which targeted drink, drug and illegal driving.
Acting Senior Sergeant Pat Green from the Casey Cardinia Highway Patrol said he was pleased with the strong police presence in Casey over the weekend.
“We had a lot of police in our patch, we were the second highest for offences,” he said.
“There were a lot of coppers out and about.”
Over the long weekend there were also six injury collisions recorded in Casey and three in Cardinia.
In one of the Cardinia incidents, a woman aged in her thirties died from injuries sustained in a crash on McGregor Road on Thursday 1 October after being airlifted to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition.
Across Victoria more than 1900 drivers were tested for drugs over the weekend, with 218 returning a positive sample, while more than 121,000 drivers underwent preliminary breath tests, with 286 recorded as over the limit.
In addition, more than 2000 people state-wide were caught speeding and 368 were caught using their mobile phones while driving.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the number of impaired drivers caught during the operation was very concerning.
“By all means go out and enjoy yourself but if you plan to drink or choose to take drugs plan a safe way home – use a designated driver, call a taxi or take public transport,” he said.
“I’m challenging the community to reduce these statistics over the next three months so everyone can enjoy this time of year with their family and friends – safely.”
