Women ‘bloody idiots’ on rise

By Nathan Johnston
STATE averages went out the window on Friday night when a higher number of women were caught drink driving in Dandenong than men.
The Dandenong Traffic Management Unit (TMU) set up Operation Canine on the Monash Freeway at Dandenong North.
More than 1300 drivers were tested between 11pm on Friday and 5am on Saturday, and 24 were found to be over the limit. One in every 48 women was over the legal limit, compared with one in every 62 men.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Tait from the Traffic Alcohol Section said the results were against the norm.
“Traditional state averages show that a higher proportion of male drivers record an illegal blood alcohol reading than women,” he said. “But the rate of women drivers who are detected above the limit seems to be increasing, and that was shown in this specific operation.”
The highest blood alcohol level recorded for a man was .137 per cent, while one woman recorded .134 per cent.
Senior Sergeant Ken Dunlop from the Dandenong TMU described the breath test operation as a disappointing success.
He said the rate of drink drivers detected, both men and women, was too high.
“Friends, relatives and associates of these people must know that they are drink driving and putting lives at risk on the road, and yet they still allow them to buckle up and drive off impaired,” he said. “It’s your family that these drivers are putting at risk – we have the statistics to prove that drink drivers cause serious collisions and fatalities.”
During Operation Canine, police also detected three unlicensed or disqualified drivers as well as three exceeding the speed limit and three unregistered motor vehicles.
Another driver was stopped using a mobile phone, and police issued notices for five other traffic offences.
“Once again the operation was a disappointing success,” Sen Sgt Dunlop said. “While the public continues to drink drive and flout road rules, we will continue to run booze bus operations and intercept cars at random – it’s as simple as that.”