Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner has welcomed the addition of two ’mini’ booze buses to the WA Police Force fleet to stop drink and drug drivers in their tracks.
The Commissioner joined Police and Road Safety Minister Michelle Roberts and Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Zanetti to inspect the new buses at Police Headquarters.
“The first breath analysis apparatus was used on Western Australian drivers in 1968, a simple tube with crystals that changed colour,” said Mr Warner.
“52 years on, Western Australia now has two state of the art booze and drug buses to get drivers who continue to risk their lives and the lives of other road users by getting behind the wheel drunk or under the influence of drugs.”
The expansion of the WA Police Force roadside testing facilities is possible with the allocation of $769,000 from the Road Trauma Trust Account, which is funded by speed and red-light camera infringements.
“The two new buses will improve the safety of all West Australian road users,” said Mr Warner.
“Firstly, as a deterrent for those who may think about getting behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs, and secondly by taking impaired drivers off the road and reducing the risk of serious consequences.”
In 2019, 33 people died on WA roads in crashes where the WA Police Force suspected alcohol was a factor. That is 20% of the 163 lives lost on WA roads last year.
However, there is a downward trend in alcohol-related fatalities on WA roads.
The 2019 figures represent a 25% decrease on the preceding five-year average of 44 alcohol-related road deaths, and a 47% decrease on the recent peak of 62 alcohol-related fatalities recorded in 2016.
The reduction in alcohol-related fatalities is reflected in the latest Community Attitudes Monitor Survey conducted by Kantar for the Road Safety Commission.
“These results show that road safety remains a top four issue in the minds of West Australians,” said Mr Warner.
“The number of WA drivers who admitted to having driven while over the legal BAC limit has significantly reduced from 26% in 2015 to 10% in 2019, however, 16% of respondents still have the belief that the likelihood of being caught is low.
“While the majority of West Australians understand the consequences of drink driving and that the chances are you will be caught, we need continued enforcement and visibility of police on the roads is important, in conjunction with educating the community about the risks,” said Mr Warner.
