AN anomaly in the way drug driver statistics are recorded mistakenly showed there were no drivers under the influence of drugs caught during a Christmas and New Year period police operation.
Operation Roadwise, conducted from 15 December-7 January, targeted motorists drink driving, speeding and driving while unlicensed (“Some drivers not so wise”, The Times 15/1/18).
Somerville Highway Patrol acting senior sergeant David Collins said last week a total of 59 drivers found to be under the influence of illicit drugs while driving listed in the Mornington Peninsula statistics included nabbed drug drivers in the Frankston area.
“It’s disappointing that we know there’s so many drink and drug-affected drivers out there that are still driving cars,” he said.
“We accept that people will drink but we need people who know them to say ‘don’t drive at night’.”
People using mobile phones and devices while driving and trying to navigate are also a major problem on the roads, he said.
“A lot of cars we pull over do have Bluetooth but because people do have issues with it or some other reason they choose to hold their phone.”
Drivers caught using a mobile phone face four demerit points on their driving licence and an on-the-spot $476 fine.
Senior Sergeant Collins said several drivers were caught using mobile phones after the Portsea Polo event last Saturday (13 January).
