Mandurah District Police have reminded drivers to be safe behind the wheel this long weekend by sharing figures from their recent Christmas holiday traffic operation.
Another local road operation will be run this weekend and double demerit points will be in place from midnight on Thursday to midnight Monday, January 28.
The Christmas operation, from December 21 to January 6, involved stopping more than 4500 cars and was implemented to reduce road trauma in the region.
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Pinjarra Police Senior Sergeant Ian Francis said officers conducted random breath and drug tests along Old Coast Road in Mandurah and South West Highway in North Dandalup.
Out of the thousands pulled over, 12 people were charged with drink driving, nine for driving without a licence, three for speeding, two for using mobile phones and one for careless driving.
“We had 39 drug seizures, 29 criminal charges issued, 22 arrests, 21 people were ordered to appear in court and 19 infringements were issued,” Senior Sergeant Francis said.
“There would have been more traffic charges handed out in this period, but these are directly related to this operation.
“The percentage of drink drivers is low and that fills us with joy”
Senior Sergeant Francis asked drivers to be respectful of other road users.
“Be patient and don’t drive fatigued,” he said.
“There’s a strong focus for us to make contact with drivers during the holidays and long weekends, to make sure the roads safe for the whole community.
“The Mandurah Police District always runs operations during these periods and target times when people are at risk on the roads.”
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
