Police caught 57 drunk drivers and nine drug drivers during a Monash Freeway operation over the weekend.
Operation Colossus, conducted over Friday and Saturday night, saw police conducting alcohol and drug testing on the Monash Freeway, targeting impaired drivers.
Police detected 25 drink drivers and three drug drivers overnight on Friday, and a further 32 drunk drivers and six drug drivers overnight on Saturday.
“To detect so many impaired drivers in two nights on a major Melbourne freeway is extremely concerning,” Inspector Rodney Maroney said.
Concerningly, police have noticed a significant spike in detections between 3am and 5am during the operation.
There were 25 impaired drivers caught between 3am and 5am on Saturday morning compared to three impaired drivers between 11:30pm and 3am.
A further 31 impaired drivers were caught between 3am and 5am on Sunday morning, compared to seven impaired drivers between 11:30pm and 3am.
Police also impounded 13 vehicles, detected nine disqualified/suspended drivers, and issued one infringement for failing to accompany for a breath test during the operation.
Police are warning motorists there will be zero tolerance to drink and drug driving over the festive period.
First-time offenders who are fully licenced and over 26 years of age caught with a blood alcohol limit between 0.05 and 0.07 receive a $593 fine and immediate three-month licence suspension.
Police will continue to have a major focus on drink and drug driving enforcement throughout December and January, with a significant road policing operation set to kick off next week across the state.
“We need all road users to completely separate these behaviours – alcohol, drugs and driving don’t mix,” Inspector Rodney Maroney said.
