1. The ongoing disappointment of Acting Superintendent Daryl Neit:
- ACT Policing’s head of Traffic Operations, Acting Superintendent Daryl Neit, has expressed his disappointment and concern over some Canberra motorists failing to heed the warnings about drink-driving.
His comments came after the release of drink-driving statistics for the first quarter of 2009, which showed that 400 drivers tested positive for alcohol in the ACT.
This is only a slight improvement over the same three-month period in 2008, in which 424 drivers tested positive.
A/Supt Neit said the frustration for police was that a small proportion of Canberra’s motorists appeared willing to risk drink-driving in the full knowledge that the decision could result in themselves or others being killed or maimed on the roads.
“In the ACT, around one in every 40 drivers screened with a roadside breath-test results in a positive test for alcohol,” a/Supt Neit said.
“That’s simply not acceptable. So the challenge for police and the community is to make drink-driving a repugnant practice; as if the drink-driver was armed and intent on doing harm to others.
“Only through making drink-driving reviled by everyone in the community are we likely to see a major reduction in road trauma related to drink-driving.”
A/Supt Neit’s warning comes a week before the busy Easter holiday travel period, when double demerit points will be applied to all speeding and seat belt offences.