Senior police are disappointed with the number of motorists who continue to ignore warnings and take the risk of drinking and driving, including three in the state’s central west.
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Operation Slowdown – the state’s Labour Day long weekend road safety campaign – was launched on Friday and will continue until 11.59pm on Monday.
Commander of traffic and highway patrol, Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, said with the NRL grand final due to take place on Sunday evening, members of the public were urged to be mindful of their alcohol consumption before getting behind the wheel.
“So far this long weekend we have seen far too many people take the unnecessary and irresponsible step of drinking and driving,” Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.
“In Mudgee alone, in the state’s central west, three people were breath tested overnight and all three returned a positive result which is extremely disappointing.”
On day two of Operation Slowdown 2015, 57,099 breath tests were conducted, resulting in 19 positive tests.
About 8.45pm on Saturday a 39-year-old woman was arrested after returning a positive roadside breath test in Mudgee.
She was charged with mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol (PCA) after a breath analysis returned an alleged reading of 0.104.
A 26-year-old woman was also charged with mid-range PCA after her vehicle was stopped in Gulgong just after midnight on Sunday.
The woman returned a breath analysis of 0.118.
Her licence was instantly suspended after she was charged.
Two hours later a 30-year-old man was charged with high-range PCA after being stopped in Mudgee about 2am.
The breath analysis returned an alleged reading of 0.174.
Double demerits will be in place over the entire long weekend for all speeding, seatbelt and motorcycle-helmet offences.
This high-visibility policing strategy includes all police vehicles on duty detecting and deterring traffic offences as Operation Slowdown continues.
