Alcohol and drug impaired drivers will have nowhere to hide with the delivery of Victoria Police’s latest tool to target impaired drivers, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.
The first of six new smaller Alcohol and Drug Test vehicles were unveiled today, as part of a $15 million investment from the Labor Government, which will help test and catch more alcohol and drug affected drivers across the state.
The purpose-built smaller vehicles can access locations that are currently difficult for Victoria Police to reach, including backstreets and rural roads where drivers may believe they can escape detection.
A total of ten new Alcohol and Drug Test vehicles, including four larger vehicles already deployed, will be fully rolled out by February 2019, giving police greater flexibility to target more areas, more often across regional and metropolitan Victoria.
The new fleet is being fitted out with the latest technology, including LED lights, Guardian Detection System, side lights, a rear-mounted variable message sign and programmable emergency lights and siren control.
The new fleet will also help police detect more drug-affected drivers on Victorian roads, as drug driving continues to become a major factor in deaths and road trauma.
Victoria proudly leads the country in its efforts to target drug drivers, with the Labor Government providing funding in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 for police to conduct 150,000 drug tests every year.
In Victoria, someone is killed or suffers serious, life-changing injuries as a result of road trauma every two hours.
In 2017, more than 44 per cent of all driver and rider road deaths were associated with the presence of drugs or alcohol. Without action over the next decade, up to 3,000 people will die on our roads.
The Labor Government is delivering more than $1.4 billion over five years through the Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy, which aims to bring road deaths to fewer than 200 people and reduce serious injuries by 15 per cent.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville
“This new, smaller fleet gives Victoria Police a new tool in its fight against alcohol and drug impaired drivers – helping keep more Victorians safe on our roads.”
“Our investments are ensuring that police have the equipment and the technology they need to make our roads safer and target drivers in smaller streets that have previously been hard to reach.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Road Safety Luke Donnellan
“We’re investing in the things that we know save lives on our roads – better roads, better safety infrastructure, more road safety education and giving police the resources they need to take dangerous drivers off the road.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020