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Victoria Police are cracking down on impaired driving, urging motorists to use other means of transport if they are planning on drinking alcohol during this Melbourne Cup weekend.
Victoria Police have issued warnings to motorists of their plan to deal with alcohol and drug driving over the weekend before the Melbourne Cup public holiday.
Named ‘Operation Furlong’, police are allegedly estimating more than 120,000 roadside breath tests will be conducted across Victoria – almost twice as many as last year.
Operation Furlong will run statewide from 12:01 am on Friday 3 October 2023 to 11:59 pm on Tuesday 7 November 2023.
“For those who make a poor decision to drink and drive, it’s even more likely you’ll be caught and face significant and costly consequences,” Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said in a media statement.
“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 ride-share services.”
According to authorities, the warning comes as Victoria’s road deaths have reached 237 to date.
With two months to go of 2023, the road toll is almost as many as the reported 241 lives lost on Victorian roads over the entirety of 2022.
“Police will have a 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,” Mr Weir said.
Fully-licensed motorists over 26 years old caught with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit between 0.05 and 0.07 will receive a $577 fine and an immediate three-month license suspension – with any driver above the 0.07 BAC level will receive significant penalties.
Penalties will increase substantially for drivers under the age of 26, and novice drivers who are required to have a zero blood alcohol level.
During last year’s Operation Furlong, Victoria Police identified 224 drunk driving offences from 66,172 roadside alcohol tests – with one motorist in every 295 drivers caught with a BAC level over the 0.05 legal limit.
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