Operation Zero concluded at midnight last night with a total of 331 infringement notices issued across the State.

The 24-hour operation saw some 350 police officers working on traffic operations, focusing on the fatal five contributors to serious and fatal crashes.

Inspector John Ward said:

“It’s very encouraging to see that no-one was caught drink driving.

“Obviously the drink driving message is getting through which is very pleasing to see.

“A small section of the community seems to think that it’s ok to not only take illegal drugs but then put others at risk by getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

“Our officers are very aware of the signs of drug taking and will conduct oral fluid tests whenever suspicion arises.

“We fined 16 people for failing to wear a seatbelt: that kind of mindless behaviour is beyond comprehension for most sensible drivers.

“The really disappointing behaviours we witnessed were the number of people who were using their mobile phones while driving and the number of people speeding.

“Talking on the phone or taking your eyes off the road to read a text are proven to cause crashes.

“Speeding is the number one cause of serious and fatal crashes and it’s just not worth the risk,” Inspector Ward said.

In the 24 hours from 12.01am on July 8, 2015 to 12.01am on July 9, 2015 the total number of infringement notices were:

• Inattentive driving – 29
• Mobile phone use – 28
• Seatbelt compliance – 16
• Speeding – 190

Chargeable offences:

• 5611 Random Breath Tests – 0 positive results
• 34 Oral Fluid Tests (drug tests) – 14 positive results