THE ACT Police officer in charge of Traffic Operations, Superintendent Kylie Flower, is pleased to say that nobody died on the territory’s roads over the Easter long weekend.

But Superintendent Flower is nonetheless disappointed that 209 driving offences were committed over the short holiday break, up from 119 last Easter.

“Four people have lost their lives already this year on our roads,” Superintendent Flower said in a statement today. “It’s disturbing that some people are still choosing to put people’s lives in danger by driving dangerously.”

ACT and NSW police worked together targeting speeding, drink-driving and fatigue over the long weekend through Operation Crossroads.

Three people recorded positive readings in preliminary drug samples over the break, which have been sent to the laboratory for further analysis. Out of 2434 breath tests over Easter, 17 were positive, a similar result to last year.

On Thursday (March 28) a 16-year-old boy was was fined $2251 for speeding and unlicensed driving, after being caught driving at 160 km/h on Adelaide Avenue, an 80 km/h zone.

On the same day, a 51-year-old man recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.222 at Woden Police Station – not his first drink-driving offence – and had his licence immediately suspended. He will have to appear before ACT Magistrates Court at a date yet to be determined.

On the morning of Easter Sunday, a 22-year-old man got into hot water when he refused to provide a breath test at City Police Station, after testing positive on the roadside. The offence carries a maximum punishment of $3300 and/or 6 months imprisonment for a first offence, or 12 months imprisonment for a repeat offender.