What will you do to make sure your friends and family arrive alive at their destination this festive season?
That's the question the WA police are posing to road users ahead of the busy Christmas period which last year saw them catch 389 drink drivers - an average of 22 a day.
Police and Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said police would be out in force in this year's double demerit period which kicked off last night and runs until January 4.
"When you see the police out over the holidays don’t curse them, thank them. They are not out to ruin Christmas. They are out to save lives,” Mrs Harvey said.
Assistant Commissioner Nick Antich (State Traffic) said the police would increase their focus on driving behaviours frequently associated with serious and fatal crashes on WA roads.
"Those behaviours include speeding, impaired driving, inattention, and failure to wear a seatbelt," he said.
"Our officers will be working across the state during the Christmas period in an effort to make our roads a safer place for all road users. We want everyone to enjoy a happy and safe festive season."
Assistant Commissioner Antich said the WA police's question to all road users is this: what will you do to improve the safety of all road users on our roads?
Minister Harvey said over the 17-day Christmas holiday period last year police detected 389 drink drivers and more than three million motorists were either stopped by police, processed by the number plate recognition system or monitored by a red light or speed camera.
“If you are doing something stupid, dangerous or irresponsible on our roads over the coming weeks, there is every chance police will catch you and with double demerits you could easily lose your licence,” the Minister said.
“We want everyone to enjoy this time of the year and not have the tragedy of having to deal with the death of a loved one. Please be responsible and ensure your family and friends are doing the right thing too.”
Between January and December this year at least 15 fatal crashes and 23 serious crashes were caused by drink drivers. In the same period, 2,176 drivers were caught over the blood alcohol limit.
“That’s more than 2,000 people who are not only putting their own lives at risk but every other road user around them. It is completely irresponsible and an outrage,” she said.
