By Shaun Inguanzo
GREATER Dandenong motorists are drinking themselves to shame after police nabbed 30 drivers at a Springvale junction on Friday night.
One man busted by police was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 0.162 – more than three times the legal limit.
Local traffic police will now crackdown on drink-drivers and speeding motorists with a two-month campaign targeting Springvale’s roads until the end of the Christmas and New Year period.
Friday night’s Operation Crossroads saw six booze buses littered around the Springvale Junction intersection of Centre Road, Police Road, Princes Highway and Springvale Road.
Police breath-tested 4825 motorists within five hours and busted 30 drink-drivers.
Region 5 Regional Traffic Tasking Unit Senior Sergeant Ken Dunlop said police also slapped motorists with infringement notices for an abundance of other driving offences, bringing the total offence count to 60.
He said six of the 30 drivers caught drink-driving were from Dandenong, two were from Springvale, two from Keysborough and one from Noble Park, with the balance made up of motorists from the neighbouring City of Casey, and a few from across Melbourne.
The booze bus blitz netted a suspended female driver from Dandenong North who police caught driving drunk, and a man from Collingwood who was driving a stolen car.
Police found three unlicensed drivers, four disqualified or suspended drivers, and 12 unregistered vehicles.
Sen Sgt Dunlop described Friday’s operation as “a very disappointing success”.
Greater Dandenong’s Traffic Management Unit (TMU) this week launched Operation Sandler as a countermeasure to reduce the number of fatalities on the city’s roads over the forthcoming holiday period.
Greater Dandenong TMU Acting Senior Sergeant Mark Denton said it was timely given Friday’s blitz.
“While it is satisfying to see that police have their intelligence right when it comes to identifying effective booze bus locations, it is extremely disheartening to see such a high number of people acting so irresponsibly and endangering their safety and the safety of others,” he said.
Acting Sen Sgt Denton said police would be on the lookout for a variety of offences during the campaign.
“Dangerous driving practices such as driving whilst on a mobile phone, speeding or running a red light will not be tolerated,” he said. “Motorists who think they can flout the law had better think again, because they will be caught.”
