LAKE Macquarie police will increase the number of random breath and drug testing operations in the Westlakes area to arrest the worrying incidence of serious and fatal crashes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Commander of the Lake Macquarie Police District, Superintendent Danny Sullivan, said Lake Macquarie was over-represented in statistics for serious motor vehicle accidents.
“And our data tells us the Westlakes area has a higher concentration of serious collisions and fatalities,” Superintendent Sullivan said.
Since January, there had been 44 accidents in the Lake Macquarie Police District that resulted in serious injuries, plus three fatalities, he said.
“And sadly, so far this year in NSW we’ve lost over 80 people to road collisions and there’s some common factors in these accidents: it’s drink- and drug-driving; speeding; not wearing a seatbelt; and ever increasingly, using a mobile phone.”
Police held a random breath and drug testing operation on Awaba Road, in Toronto, on Friday morning.
Within two hours of starting the operation, police had nabbed five drivers who tested positive to either cannabis or amphetamines.
Those illicit drugs caused impairments to drivers that were similar to those caused by alcohol, Superintendent Sullivan said.
“The driver’s reactionary gap is taken away, and it also takes away their ability to make good judgements.”
Police are increasingly concerned by the incidence of motorists using their mobile phones while behind the wheel.
On Wednesday, police held an operation targeting mobile phone compliance by motorists in the Westlakes area. The first offender was observed by police after just 15 minutes.
Superintendent Sullivan said some people still didn’t think twice about using their mobile phone while driving. It had become a “casual” and “unconscious” habit they wrongly assumed was safe and OK, he said.
“And when police stop these motorists and ask ‘Were you just using your mobile phone?’ the answer is often the same: ‘Yeah, but I was just...”
Just checking the time. Just looking to see who sent me that text..
“We’re out doing our part as the police, targeting the four fatal factors and making sure our roads are safe,” Superintendent Sullivan said.
He urged motorists to get on board and help improve the safety of local roads for all users. Motorists had choices to make when it came to those four fatal factors, he said.
“As a community, we need to look at the things that are within our control, and change those behaviours so that, together, we can work on the safety of our community.”
Superintendent Sullivan was joined by Chief Inspector David Matthews for a hands-on role in Friday’s operation on Awaba Road.
Superintendent Sullivan said it was unusual to have the police district’s top brass involved in such a roadside operation.
But it showed how seriously, and personally, police were taking road safety in their community, he said.
