Vic: Police Christmas road blitz biggest ever

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2008
Vic: Police Christmas road blitz biggest ever

MELBOURNE, Dec 20 AAP - Victoria Police has launched its biggest ever road blitz, targeting
drunken drivers and dangerously stupid young ones.

Assistant Commissioner of Traffic Ken Lay on Saturday said thousands of officers would
be out in force over the Christmas-New Year period in an unprecedented show of strength.

"Victoria's got a proud history of road safety, we've reduced the number of deaths
over the years quite remarkably," he said.

"But for some reason the Victorian community can't get it right over the Christmas period.

"We are continually amongst the highest number of fatalities across Australia."

Assistant Commissioner Lay said that on Saturday night all 16 of Victoria's booze buses
would be on the road, testing motorists.

He said police had been especially frustrated by a small group of irresponsible young
drivers who ignore warnings and drive dangerously, putting all road users at risk.

The assistant commissioner said he had a message for them.

"There's a group of people that simply don't get it and I think the only way to change
their behaviour is to actually catch them and get them off the road," he said.

On Friday night, Victorian police picked up a P-plate driver on a restricted passenger
licence who had four people in his car and returned an alcohol reading of .154.

In another case, a 17-year-old learner driver had an alcohol reading of .142 when tested
after crashing his car into a brick wall in Mount Waverley, police said.

Also, an 18-year-old learner driver who almost ran police off the road at Epping had
seven passengers in his car, including two in the boot.

AAP mok/jpm/it/cdh

KEYWORD: BLITZ UPDATE

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