Drug drivers on rise
Drunks outnumbered
DRUG drivers caught on Geelong and Surf Coast roads are outnumbering drink drivers for the sixth consecutive year, with drug driving now exceeding drink driving as a contributing factor in fatal crashes across the state.
Fresh Victoria Police data retrieved for the Geelong Advertiser has revealed police recorded 414 positive drug tests in the region in the year to August 31, compared with 270 drink drivers.
The statistics show motorists have now returned more positive drug tests than alcohol tests in the region every year since 2017, when 458 drug drivers were nabbed compared to 397 drink drivers.
2020 marked the worst year for drug driving in the region, with about 70 per cent of 1164 motorists caught with drugs or alcohol in their systems returning positive drug tests.
Geelong Highway Patrol senior sergeant Craig Stevens said police were witnessing the “devastating harm” caused by drugs in the community every day.
“Drug driving is a major cause of road trauma, contributing to a third of fatalities last year alone,” Sergeant Stevens said. “Driving a vehicle safely requires a high degree of attention and vigilance, and being drug or alcohol affected impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle.
“In Geelong, we continue to dedicate resources to target drug driving and increase our
focus on getting more drug drivers off the road.”
Sergeant Stevens said motorists should consider police ready to drug test for impaired drivers “anytime, anywhere”.
“December is a particularly high-risk period for impaired driving, so motorists should expect to be tested in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year,” he said.
“We won’t hesitate to remove impaired drivers from our roads – there is no excuse for getting behind the wheel when you are alcohol or drug affected.”
Transport Accident Commission (TAC) chief executive Joe Calafiore said while most Victorians understood the dangers of drug driving, there remained “a small number of people willingly putting themselves and others at risk”.
“Don’t be the reason for further tragedy on Geelong’s roads – driving after taking illicit drugs is a poor decision that puts everyone on the road in danger,” Mr Calafiore said. “The TAC’s message is clear, if you take any illicit drugs, do not drive.”