Tweed/Byron police charged 19 drink-drivers over the weekend with another 86 drivers testing positive to drugs.
The three day operation saw the region retain its unwanted crown as the state’s most dangerous place to drive.
One truck driver, who was hauling a large excavator at the time, was charged with mid-range drink-driving and driving unlicensed during the operation.
Traffic and highway patrol command assistant commissioner Michael Corboy described the results as ‘staggering, considering the high road toll.’
‘Despite the death toll on our roads, which now sits at 357, and the numerous warnings about drink and drug-driving, I am dumbfounded by how many drivers we have caught impaired during the operation,’ he said.
‘The Tweed/Byron Local Area Command is ranked number one in the state for alcohol related crashes, and there is an average of seven fatal crashes in the command every year.
Disgrace
‘This is not a statistic to be proud of. It is a disgrace,’ assistant commissioner Corboy said.
Operation Mega Drive 2 started on Thursday December 1 and finished on Saturday December 3.
The operation primarily focused on drink and drug-drivers in the region but speeding, mobile phone use and not wearing seatbelts were also targeted.
During the operation, officers conducted 2,599 random breath tests, with 19 drivers charged with drink driving, and conducted 425 random drug tests, with 86 drivers testing positive.
Officers also issues 101 fines for speeding, 29 for not wearing a seatbelt, 300 other infringements, and a total of 30 charges were laid.
A heavy vehicle driver was charged with mid-range drink-driving and driving unlicensed after his truck – which was carrying a large excavator – was pulled over on the M1 at Chinaderah on Thursday.
The 49-year-old Queensland man was charged after returning an alleged reading of 0.131 and checks revealed he did not have a licence required for the heavy vehicle.
He is due to face Tweed Heads Local Court on January 9, 2017.
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