DRIVERS impaired by alcohol and drugs are the focus of a targeted police operation under way in Bathurst.
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The drug testing truck is in the city as officers crack down on a growing scourge on our roads.
Bathurst Highway Patrol commander Sergeant Peter Foran yesterday said police will be out in force undertaking random breath tests and drug tests.
He said drug and alcohol impaired drivers were a focus for police as they contribute significantly to road trauma and deaths.
The local operation is being held in conjunction with statewide Operation Saturation, which aims to combat the rising road toll.
Operation Saturation – funded by the NSW Centre for Road Safety – includes the entire Traffic and Highway Patrol fleet, assisted by local police, in high-visibility patrols on NSW roads.
It starts today and runs until Thursday, April 21, where it will be followed by Operation Go Slow from Friday, April 22 until Monday, April 25.
Sgt Foran said both operations are about keeping people safe on the road.
“We’ve just come off the Easter period where we had high volumes of traffic travelling through the command, where fortunately we had no deaths or major injuries,” he said.
Sgt Foran put this down to high visibility policing and a complete saturation by police on all major highways as well as back roads.
He said motorists could expect to see more of the same in the lead-up to the Anzac Day long weekend.
Traffic and Highway Patrol State Operations Commander, Superintendent Stuart Smith, urged all drivers to take responsibility for themselves and their passengers while driving, saying it remains “the missing factor” on the roads.
“We have some of the best roads, latest technology and safest vehicles. What is missing from the equation is personal responsibility,” he said.
“We will be out in force and if you are drink/drug driving, speeding, not wearing your seatbelt or helmet, the chances are you will be having a conversation with an officer during this operation.”
The Western Advocate reported early this year that drug-impaired drivers were becoming even more of a problem on local roads than drink drivers.
In one sitting in February, nine people appeared before Bathurst Local Court charged with driving with an illicit drug in their system – more than double the number on drink-driving charges that day.