28 drug or drink drivers caught

Dec 28, 2021

Police were kept busy in the lead-up to Christmas, ensuring motorists were doing the right thing. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Twenty-eight drug or drink drivers were detected in the policing region that takes in Mitchell Shire during a 10-day police operation that finished on Boxing Day.

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The results come from 5928 breath tests conducted in Eastern Region Division Three, which takes in Mitchell, Greater Shepparton and Benalla local government areas.

Unfortunately three people died in road crashes in the division during the operation, with a man dying in a crash at Katunga on Christmas Day and two Yarrawonga men, aged 30 and 36, losing their lives in an accident at Chiltern on Boxing Day.

In the entire Eastern Region policing area — which makes up about one-third of Victoria and stretches from the Murray River in the north to the ocean in the south, and as far across as a few kilometres south of Heathcote, to the NSW border in the east — saw 2284 offences detected.

These included 96 drivers caught driving on disqualified licences, and a further 96 driving unlicensed.

A total of 758 drivers were caught driving at between 10 and 25km above the speed limit, and a total of 45 vehicles were impounded.

A further 205 drivers were caught either drug or drink driving from 31,725 breath tests and 933 drug tests conducted.