Police across the state will be putting in the hard yards to ensure road users stay safe this Labour Day weekend.
Officers will be highly visible across metropolitan and rural locations as part of Operation Arid, a four-day focus on driving down the incidence and severity of road trauma.
While the operation will target the key causes of death and serious injury on roads – including speed, fatigue, driver distraction and seatbelt offences – police will have a particular focus on impaired driving.
So far this year, 45 people have been killed on the state’s roads, with drink and drug driving suspected to be factors in ten of those incidents.
Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said it was baffling that people continued to get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs when they knew the risks involved.
“The dangers of drink and drug driving are nothing new,” she said.
“Drink driving shortens your concentration span, significantly affects reaction times and alters your ability to judge distances.
“Knowingly getting into the driver’s seat while drunk or drug-affected is entirely selfish and there’s no place for it on our roads.
“We are doing more roadside drug tests than ever before, and we’ll be out and about breath-testing drivers, so think twice before consciously putting yourself and others at risk.”
Last year two people lost their lives across the Labour Day long weekend.
Ms Murphy said most deaths on the road were preventable, with eight lives already lost due to not wearing seatbelts.
“We’re incredibly concerned about this behaviour, considering seatbelts are a proven lifesaver,” she said.
“We don’t want to be on people’s backs, and we won’t be if you do the right thing, so remember to buckle up, put your phone away, and separate alcohol and drugs from driving.”
Operation Arid runs from 12.01am on 6 March to 11.59pm on 9 March.
