POLICE have slammed the “disgraceful” behaviour of rogue motorists on Peninsula Link after more than 10,000 speeding drivers were detected in just one month, including one man clocked at well over double the 100km/h speed limit.
Cameras detected more than 300 speeding offences a day between 17 December and 18 January, including 114 drivers who had their licences immediately cancelled after being caught driving more the 30km/h above the speed limit, eight of whom were clocked at speeds of more the 45km/h over the limit.
Among them was a male driver clocked at 238km/h and later at 121km/h in a 60km/h zone. Police said the man would face dangerous driving charges and have his car impounded under anti-hoon legislation.
Southern Metro road policing inspector Bryan Sharp said the results showed too many motorists were treating the freeway like a raceway and putting lives at risk.
“It’s incredibly disheartening that some people continue to ignore the risks and treat the freeway like a raceway,” he said.
“It has been well publicised that there are cameras along Peninsula Link, and that police continually run operations to enforce the speed limits.
“The fact that we are still finding such a high number of people speeding beggars belief.”
Police recently announced they would now be targeting low-level speeding in a campaign designed to make driving above the limit “as socially unacceptable as drink-driving”.
Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said police across the state had been instructed to fine motorists guilty of setting their own “de facto” speed limits, including those travelling at as little as 1km/h over the limit.
“The culture has shifted in respect of drink-driving; it’s now socially unacceptable for people to get behind the wheel of a motor car and drive while affected by alcohol, but the same cannot be said for speeding,” Mr Hill said.
“Across our community, people don’t appreciate that low-level speeds can be just as dangerous as high-level speeding.”
