A drug driver clocked at 161km/h near Hamilton at the weekend was one of 191 motorists caught breaking road rules over the weekend in the south-west.
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Western region division two police recorded 191 traffic offences during Operation Furlong, a statewide road policing operation held over the Melbourne Cup weekend.
The operation targeted dangerous drivers and focused on the key contributors to fatalities and serious injury crashes including speed, drink and drug driving, fatigue, seatbelt compliance and mobile phone use.
Western region division two road safety manager Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said while most drivers were well behaved, there was still room for improvement.
“Fortunately we had no fatalities or serious injuries on our roads, which means the operation can be considered a success, but it is still disappointing to see people who are willing to take chances,” he said.
“We had close to 200 people who were prepared to put themselves and other road users at risk. Enough is enough. There is no room for you on our roads.”
At the time of writing, there were more than 130 drug and speeding drivers detected in the Warrnambool and Southern Grampians police service areas.
A Warrnambool teenager was caught driving 20km/h over the speed limit on the Camperdown-Lismore Road in Camperdown, while a 30-year-old Hamilton man was clocked travelling at 161km/h on the Hamilton-Chatsworth Road, east of Hamilton.
Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said the man, who had three passengers in the vehicle, returned a positive drug test.
“The road side drug test showed that the driver had ice in his system,” he said.
“That result is provisional as we are awaiting laboratory tests.”
The man will receive a summons for excessive speed offences and drug driving. The vehicle was not impounded as it was a hire car.
Acting Senior Sergeant Asenjo said motorists still weren’t heeding the message.
“You’ve got people that are willing to challenge themselves at high speed on our country roads,” he said.
"But the reality is, if you come off the road at 123km/h or 161km/h, you will die.
“None of us choose to have poor drivers on our roads, or people that are prepared to take those risks. It’s not fair.”
Police recorded 9000 offences across the state during the operation, including close to 600 people caught using their mobile phones while behind the wheel.
But there were no mobile phone offences detected in the Warrnambool police service area and just one in the Southern Grampians, which encompasses Hamilton and Portland.
During the operation there were 14 unregistered vehicle offences and five disqualified or unlicensed drivers detected across both police service areas.
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