Drink drivers tested as holiday road blitz beckons
Police have released sickening footage of a taxi smashing into a young boy as he ran across a pedestrian crossing.
It is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any driver or parent and was on Friday used to help launch a holiday road blitz, Operation Safe Arrival, encouraging drivers to slow down.
"Don't speed because you know it's wrong and also you always need to pay attention,” the young road victim warned others.
Traffic and Highway patrol will now put more than 1000 police on the streets over this safe arrival period, which includes 500 police cars.
“Our advice is to avoid alcohol altogether,” Traffic and Highway patrol Command Assistant Commisioner Michael Corboy told 7 News.
Using Sydney Dragway, Seven News and Drive to Survive tested two drivers’ stopping distances before and after the influence of alcohol.
At 70km/h both took almost 25-metres to stop in the wet.
Then the champagne was poured… within the recommendations to stay under the legal limit.
Both drivers blew just .02, less than half the legal driving limit.
The bigger bodied Sam was impressively able to stop at about the same distance as when he was sober but Frances took much longer.
"Hence us travelling 30 metres down the road - about six metres longer than when she was sober,” Drive to Survive owner Ian Luff said.
"Technically if I had a night out that's what I could blow the next morning and you could drive like that (thinking that) you're absolutely fine,” Frances Kingdon said.
It is drummed into Australian’s that .05 is the limit but in may countries they’re not so lenient.
In Sweden, Poland and China, the limit is .02, while in Brazil Columbia and Estonia, the limit is zero.
"If you drink and drive or take drugs and drive, you will be caught,” Assistant Commisioner Corboy added.
