Police are committing to increased roadside alcohol testing over the Melbourne Cup long weekend and are urging people planning to drink to plan ahead by utilising alternative transport options or allocating a designated driver.
Operation Furlong will see police conducting widespread roadside alcohol and drug testing across the state.
Last year the five-day operation caught 224 drink-driving offences from 66,172 preliminary breath tests, a concerningly high strike rate of one in every 295 drivers caught over the limit.
Due to Covid protocols in place last year, volume testing was limited, and this year police are forecasting a total of 120,000 tests to be conducted.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Glenn Weir had a simple message for Victorians celebrating the Melbourne Cup – don’t drink and drive.
“Drinking and driving simply don’t mix – we need everyone to completely separate the behaviour,” he said.
“If you’re planning to have a drink this Cup weekend, then don’t drive. Plan ahead, leave the car at home, arrange a designated driver, or utilise public transport or rideshare services.
“Police will have zero tolerance for drink and drug driving – these behaviours continue to contribute significantly to serious injury and fatal collisions, and we’re doing everything we can to reduce further trauma on our roads this year.”
Penalties for drink driving are significant, with a first offence for a fully licenced motorist over 26 years of age caught with a blood alcohol limit between 0.05 and 0.07 receiving a $577 fine and immediate three-month licence suspension.
The penalties increase substantially for those under 26 years of age, those required to have a zero blood or breath alcohol level, those caught for second or subsequent drink driving offences, and those caught over 0.07 or above.
The warning from police comes as the number of lives lost on Victorian roads has reached 237, edging closer to last year’s 241 total lives lost for 2022.
It’s also the highest number of lives lost since 2016, where 240 fatalities had occurred to date.
Operation Furlong will run statewide from 12:01am Friday October 3 up until 11:59pm Tuesday 7 November.
