LOCAL police have commenced a four-month long operation focusing on licensed venues in south-west Victoria in a bid to reduce road trauma associated with impaired driving.

The four-month long police operation began on Friday, August 26, and Highway Patrol officers have already begun conducting roadside alcohol and drug tests near licensed venues in remote locations including in the Southern Grampians, Corangamite, Moyne, Warrnambool and Glenelg.

Uniform officers will also have a highly visible presence in and around pubs and clubs to ensure liquor licensing compliance. The operation is taking place every Friday and Saturday night until the end of the year.

In August alone, police have intercepted almost 20 impaired drivers across the region, including a number of young drivers.

One in five drink driving detections across Victoria are in people under 25-years-old, and 30 per cent of those drivers had admitted to consuming alcohol at a hotel or club.

On Monday, August 1, police intercepted a 24-year-old male driver on Cox Street in Hamilton. He underwent a roadside breath test and recorded an alleged blood-alcohol reading of 0.116, which is more than twice the legal limit.

On another occasion in the early hours of Sunday, August 7, police intercepted a 23-year-old female driver on Merri Street in Warrnambool. She underwent a roadside breath test and recorded an alleged blood-alcohol reading of 0.165, which is almost three-and-a-half times the legal limit.

Warrnambool and Southern Grampians Highway Patrol senior sergeant, Matthew Wheeler, was transparent in the contempt accorded to those who endanger lives by getting behind the wheel under the influence,

“Our message is very simple – if you choose to drink too much and drive, you will be caught. We will not hesitate to remove drink drivers from the road – even those only the slightest bit over,” he said.

“First time offenders who go even a little bit over the legal drinking limit face significant penalties, including fines, loss of licence and disqualification – and the penalties are significantly worse for higher BAC readings and repeat offenders.”

Sen Sgt Matthew Wheeler contextualised the police crackdown by appealing to locals to actively remember the morbid risk associated with driving that is exponentially exacerbated when getting behind the wheel under the influence.

“The worst penalty of all is the potential loss of life on our roads. You do not want to be responsible for a collision that results in serious injury or death – the consequences are catastrophic.

“It never gets easier delivering the horrific news to a mum, dad, husband, or wife that their loved one has been killed in a road tragedy. So please – if you’re going to drink, don’t drive home.”

Police are targeting speedsters and impaired drivers on key arterial roads throughout August and September, following a spate of serious and fatal road incidents in recent months. The number of lives lost on Victorian roads currently sits at 161 compared to 142 this time last year. Eight of those fatalities occurred in the Southern Grampians and Warrnambool region.