After-work

By Melissa Grant
A POLICE operation targeting hammered tradies nabbed six drink-drivers – most at school pick-up time.
Four motorists blew over the limit at the Beaconsfield-Emerald Road and Inglis Road intersection, Beaconsfield, between 3pm and 4pm last Thursday.
Operation Acta saw 21 police officers lock down several sites across Cardinia where 4375 drivers where breath-tested over 10 hours.
Police moved from site to site, blocking inbound and outbound lanes on local roads – leaving no room for escape.
Cardinia’s top traffic cop, Sergeant Nigel Atkins, said the aim of the operation was to catch after-work boozers who mistakenly thought they could use back roads to avoid breath tests.
“The problem we have with the recidivist drink-driver is that they are a determined and a very evasive foe that will do anything to avoid detection,” he said.
Five of the six motorists charged with drink-driving during the operation exceeded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.05, while one P-plate driver was over 0.00.
Sgt Atkins was appalled that some were caught as early as 3pm.
“To think people are foolish enough to drive impaired while families and young children are driving, or crossing the roads, is just totally irresponsible,” he said.
“There are a lot of trade people – butchers, carpenters, plumbers – they start at 6am, sometimes 5am on site, so their eight-hour day finishes at 2pm and they’re on there way home with booze in their belly.”
Operation Acta also uncovered two motorists driving while suspended or disqualified, two with unregistered motor vehicles, one exceeding the speed limit by more than 24km/h, and one motorist driving while using a mobile phone.
Police handed out three defect notices and discovered 17 other traffic-related offences.
Sgt Atkins said Cardinia TMU would continue to target day-time drinkers.
“There is no escape,” he said. “Basically if you drink and drive you are a bloody idiot, that’s for sure.”