18 April 2023

Anti-social driving, illegal modifications targeted in Canberra vehicle blitz

| Claire Fenwicke
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police officer on a construction site

Officers conducted a blitz on anti-social driving behaviour over the weekend. Photo: ACT Policing.

An anti-social driving behaviour blitz across the Territory has resulted in multiple fines and defect notices across the weekend.

Police said they issued 13 defect notices after detecting vehicles that had been lowered beyond the required standard, vehicles with bald tyres and vehicles with “engine components protruding from the bonnet”.

More than 30 fines were also issued for a variety of offences, including driving without headlights on and not maintaining a vehicle safe to drive.

This included a 65-year-old Watson man who had never held a licence, who was also found to be driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.

bald tyre

More than 30 fines were issued, including for balding tyres. Photo: ACT Policing.

Police also conducted 350 random breath tests, with four drivers issued court summons for allegedly exceeding the legal blood alcohol limit.

One of these drivers was identified as an 18-year-old Queanbeyan man with a provisional licence who already had his right to drive in the ACT suspended for a similar offence in March.

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Several unrelated operations and arrests were also conducted by ACT Policing at the weekend.

At 10:10 pm on Friday (14 April) Operation TORIC officers directed a white Nissan Tiida to pull over on Coniston Street in Hawker.

The driver allegedly refused to comply and drove onto the wrong side of the road to avoid officers.

Police said the vehicle was seen in Maribyrnong Avenue and Ellenborough Street, Kaleen, over the next hour.

Officers went to a Lyneham home at about 11:25 pm and confirmed the alleged driver of the Tiida, a 27-year-old Giralang man, was there.

Specialist Response Group officers attended his arrest due to reports suggesting the man had a handgun in his possession.

The Giralang man surrendered to police at about 11:50 pm and was arrested, along with a 27-year-old Wanniassa woman who was also at the scene.

The man was charged with failing to stop for police, disqualified driving, refusing to undergo screening tests for drugs and alcohol, and aggravated dangerous driving, while the woman was accused of breaching her bail conditions.

In an unrelated incident, a 47-year-old Braddon man was arrested on Saturday (15 April) after being spotted by Territory Targeting Team officers on patrol recognised him as allegedly violating his parole.

At the time, he was allegedly seen walking away from a grey Kia Sportage, which police checks confirmed had been reported stolen the previous day.

The Braddon man was charged with breach of parole, driving a motor vehicle without consent and disqualified driving.

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Operation TORIC officers also arrested a 28-year-old Amaroo man on Saturday (15 April), who was the subject of two arrest warrants.

It’s alleged he was identified as the driver of a grey Subaru Impreza which sped away from police in Manuka. Police said they had seen the vehicle run a red light at the Brisbane Avenue intersection with National Circuit.

The man was arrested in Jacka and will front ACT Magistrates Court on Monday (17 April) in relation to two outstanding warrants and traffic offences, including disqualified driving.

Police said this was the eighth time the man has been charged with disqualified driving since 2017.

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Oh comments!!!!!whinge whinge

The examples in the article are interesting but really just the tip of the iceberg. I could issue 20 infringement notices in the 10 minutes it takes me to drive to the shops. Speeding, driving all over the road, random lane changing, not stopping at a stop sign, parking like a moron – the list is nearly endless. A couple of extra police patrols would pay for themselves in no time at all. And make the roads safer.

@harcm
“not stopping at a stop sign”
I think my most nervous moment when driving is crossing Canberra Ave (around Kingston) – when someone is following me. As per the law, I bring my car to a complete stop the Stop signs – I’ve lost count of the times I’ve almost been rear ended, due to the fool behind me thinking I wouldn’t stop, because there was no other car to which I needed to give way. Oh and a “rolling stop” at a Stop sign is still breaking the law.

I really hope driving 50 on an 80 road and not knowing whwb to enter a roundabout or how to merge is targeted as antisocial driving as well. These kind of drivers trigger a lot of dangerous driving, especially during peak hours.

Capital Retro1:39 pm 18 Apr 23

Nothing reported about issuing infringements for loud American motorcycles?

Nah, they aren’t fast enough to do any real damage to anyone but the rider… Natural selection is easier than a ticket.

Or fart cans on P Plater Hyundai Excels

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