Silly driving in silly season

IN a rather festive attempt to avoid being caught by police, a Smithton man was found up a pine tree after being spotted driving dangerously this week.

Police said the unlicensed 26-year-old driver would have to face court after failing to stop for police on Scotchtown Rd, Smithton on Wednesday.

Police soon after found him in the pine tree in a farmer’s paddock.

The man failed a roadside drug test and was charged with several offences including aggravated evasion and dangerous driving.

His car was seized for six months and he will appear in the Magistrates Court in Burnie at a later date.

The Smithton man was one of three dangerous drivers detected in the Circular Head area in the North West.

A 27-year-old, also from Smithton, was caught driving at 149km/h on Montagu Rd near Smithton in a 100km/h zone. The penalty was a $900 fine, six demerit points and a four-month licence suspension.

A 48-year-old Togari motorcyclist was caught travelling at 160km/h on the Bass Highway at Rocky Cape in a 100km/h zone. The motorcyclist received the same penalties as the Smithton speedster plus their motorcycle was seized for 28 days.

Tasmania Police will focus on rural roads in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period.

Inspector Adrian Shadbolt said all three detections were extremely concerning, particularly due to the high speeds and “blatant disregard of the law, road safety and other road users.”

“Irresponsible behaviours such as those detected lead to tragic consequences for those involved and other innocent road users,” he said.

“Police are committed to continuing their focus on rural roads and highways. The Crossroads road safety operation will shortly commence for the Christmas/New Year period and members of the public can expect that police will be undertaking both overt and covert activities.

“We could be anywhere on Tasmanian roads in the leadup to and over that period.”