Brimbank recorded the second highest number of drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the state over the labor day long weekend.
Operation Arid, which focused on dangerous driving behaviour, netted 17 drivers under the influence in Brimbank over the four-day period.
Brimbank Highway Patrol Sergeant Andy Oakley said police were disappointed with driver behaviour.
“For such a small service area to be the second worst in the state for drink and drug driving is very disappointing,” he said. “Across the whole weekend we issued over 320 infringement notices, which again was disappointing.”
Drivers also continued to flout previous warnings surrounding the emergency lane of the Greensborough-bound section of the Western Ring Road before the Furlong Road exit.
“We caught 80 people using the emergency lane trying to beat traffic on Friday,” Sergeant Oakley said.
“Despite very public warnings about how dangerous this practice is, drivers continue to put motorists at risk.
“We’ve had a number of near misses at the area and there’s a high potential to cause serious injury.”
Although disappointed with driver behaviour, Sergeant Oakley said the operation was a success.
“From a policing point of view, issuing the number of tickets we did was a success,” he said.
“We’ll continue to enforce these offences because we have to eliminate this type of behaviour.
“We’re just asking motorists to think about others when they get into a car.”
