By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
A ROAD blitz targeting illegal drivers has netted more than 500 traffic offences in two days in Doveton and Springvale.
State highway patrol police booked drivers on 539 offences during the continuation of Operation Road Bia on September 21-22.
They used up to six booze buses a day to catch 46 drivers above the legal blood-alcohol limit — both 0.00 and 0.05 — or with positive drug tests.
Automatic number plate recognition devices also caught 32 unlicensed and disqualified drivers.
The other traffic offences included unregistered and unroadworthy vehicles, speeding, not wearing seatbelts and talking on mobile phones.
Greater Dandenong’s Inspector Caroline West said the offence numbers were “significantly higher” than similar operations in other hot spots around Melbourne last month.
The blitz follows a similar operation at Princes Highway and Dandenong Bypass on September 12-13. The operation caught 72 disqualified and suspended drivers, 112 drivers of unregistered vehicles, 47 unlicensed drivers and 510 drivers with outstanding fines.
Inspector West said the operation could be extended into October “given the results so far”.
“We are targeting locations chosen with our intelligence and previous data where offenders have been.”
Inspector West said the “disturbing” results showed large numbers of repeat offenders were disregarding the law. “We’re trying to get all of these recidivist offenders off the road. It’s alarming to think people are taking these risks.”
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