Police from Upper Mount Gravatt Highway Patrol, in partnership with Transurban, rolled out Operation Matador, a road safety campaign aiming to save lives and reduce road trauma by targeting impaired and fatigued drivers on the Gateway Motorway.
Over the weekend, from Friday May 26, police targeted both sides of the Gateway Motorway deploying Highway Patrol officers from Upper Mount Gravatt, Mount Ommaney and Capalaba also joined by Road Policing Task Force, General Duties police, Tactical Crime Squad and Dog Squad officers with drug detection dogs.
Police were supported by external organizations including Department of Transport and Main Roads, Transurban and SPER.
Activity included random breath and drug testing, license checks, vehicle inspections and detection sweeps by the drug dog handler. The operation served to increase education surrounding driver fatigue.
Police performed 2255 RBTs, with 31 drivers charged with drink driving, one of which who registered .142 – almost three times the legal limit.
Officers detected 11 drug drivers after performing 47 Random Drug Tests.
91 Traffic Infringement Notices were issued
Officers charged 27 motorists, including thirteen unlicensed or disqualified drivers.
Acting Sergeant Liam Salmon said this operation aims to encourage road users to be accountable for their driving behaviour and be familiar with the impact of Fatal Five – drink and drug driving, distraction, speeding, fatigue and seatbelts.
“In 2022, on Queensland roads, 65 people lost their lives to drink driving, (21.9% of all lives lost) and 61 fatalities were due to drug driving (20.5% of all fatal road crashes),” Acting Sergeant Salmon said.
“That means the driver has chosen to get behind the wheel while adversely affected and this has resulted in someone losing their life,”
“Driving whilst fatigued is also a high-risk behaviour which can affect anyone, no matter how experienced a driver they might be. Sleepiness contributed to 20-30% of all deaths and severe injuries on the road, similar to speeding and drink driving,”
“Each person killed is more than just a number, leaving behind families and their loved ones who will be impacted forever,”
“This operation serves to remind all motorists on our roads, you can expect to see police anywhere, anytime,” Acting Sergeant Salmon said.
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