Australia Day revelers are continuing to put themselves and others at risk on the roads, according to Wheatbelt Police.
Over a four day period on the Australia Day long weekend officers from 23 police stations in the WA Police Wheatbelt District completed more than 2200 random breath tests.
As a result four people were charged with driving with a blood alcohol content above 0.05.
Three drug swipes were conducted with one person testing positive for cannabis and another tested positive for amphetamines.
Wheatbelt District Inspector Gordon Fairman said the numbers are concerning.
“In 2017, drink driving was a factor in 35 fatal crashes in WA, and while the overwhelming majority of tests over the Australia Day weekend were negative, it is still concerning that a number of drivers were detected under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” he said.
“There is no excuse for this behaviour and the potential tragic outcome for the drivers, their passengers or other members of the community is very real.”
Police also issued 181 infringements for speeding offences, four infringements for failing to wear and seatbelt and one infringement for using a mobile phone.
Inspector Fairman said those types of behaviours are a priority for police.
“Our officers will continue to focus on those offences that are most frequently linked to fatal and serious crashes on our roads, which are speeding, failure to wear seatbelts, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and inattention through mobile phone use,” he said.
“These behaviours are illegal and symptomatic of poor choices made by drivers of vehicles on our roads.
“These poor choices can result in tragic outcomes for the drivers, their passengers or other members of the community in and around our roads and we make no apology for penalising these poor choices.”
Ten people were changed with driving without holding a drivers licence, one person was charged with reckless driving, 12 unlicensed vehicles were detected and one vehicle was seized due to hoon legislation.
