Police hopping mad at holiday drivers

By Lia Bichel
POLICE in the City of Greater Dandenong are concerned that many drivers are blatantly ignoring police warnings about road safety.
Over the Easter weekend, police caught several drivers speeding, drink driving and breaking other road rules.
There were also eleven collisions, two of which resulted in occupants sustaining injuries.
Greater Dandenong Traffic Management Unit (TMU) Acting Senior Sergeant Pat McGavigan said many drivers were choosing to ignore police warnings, despite several media outlets revealing police would be conducting Operation Aegis VII, one of the state’s largest road operations to date.
“I don’t think it’s about people not getting the message, I think they are choosing not to accept the message,” he said.
“I don’t know why they would choose to take that course of action. People need to take responsibility for their actions. If they disobey the law, they will pay the consequences.”
The operation involved members from the Operational Response Unit, Air Wing, State Highway Patrol, Traffic Management Units and general duties police across Victoria.
Sen Sgt McGavigan said a total of 130 police officers from the City of Greater Dandenong saturated the streets during the operation.
They conducted 3023 breath tests in the City of Greater Dandenong, and caught 14 drink drivers.
One driver, in a heavy vehicle transporting concrete slabs, recorded a blood alcohol reading of .094 when he was pulled over on the South Gippsland Freeway near Doveton.
The driver from Frankston had several prior convictions for drink driving and immediately had his licence suspended.
Sen Sgt McGavigan said police detected 190 other offences, including one person driving while disqualified and one driver travelling 119km/h in a 60km/h zone.
Across the state, police detected a total of 5285 speeding offences, 511 drink driving offences, 835 mobile phone offences, 835 seatbelt offences, 645 drivers disobeying signs or signals, 543 unlicensed drivers and 258 disqualified drivers.
Deputy Commissioner Road Policing Ken Lay said some instances of dangerous and reckless driving over the weekend caused him great concern and provided fuel for traffic police everywhere to work harder.
“Do not be mistaken, we were out in force this weekend and we will be out again, and again until every driver in this state gets the road safety message,” he said.
Sen Sgt McGavigan agreed.
“This operation will continue in the future,” he said, “and it’s only going to get bigger.”