Blitz: Bendigo Highway Patrol head Paul Gardiner.
BENDIGO police caught 36 drivers using their mobile phones while driving during a recent operation run in conjunction with the State Highway Patrol.
Senior Sergeant Paul Gardiner from Bendigo’s Highway Patrol said the State Highway Patrol was in Bendigo last week for Operation LIMIT.
The road enforcement campaign is designed to limit the carnage traditionally seen on Victorian roads in the first few months of the year.
Focus areas for the campaign included speed, impaired driving, driver distraction and restraint compliance in 16 priority police service areas, including Bendigo.
Senior Sergeant Gardiner said it was disappointing and incredibly frustrating some drivers continued to demonstrate risky behaviour and used their mobile phones behind the wheel.
“We had some State Highway Patrol members up here for three days (last week), and the BlueNet car with automatic number plate recognition, and in just one day we detected 36 people using their mobile phones while driving,” he said.
“We did a lot of different locations and kept monitoring from one location to another.
“Some people were texting in their laps, others had phones in their laps that were connected to ear plugs.
“But you can’t touch your mobile phone while driving.
“The simple message to drivers is that when you get in the car, throw your phone in the glove box and don’t touch it.
“Unless you have an approved holder, people can check by visiting the VicRoads website, then people need to put their phones somewhere where they can’t get at them.”
Seven unregistered vehicles, seven unlicensed drivers and 15 unroadworthy vehicles were also detected during the operation.
“It was pleasing only seven people were caught not wearing their seatbelts,” Senior Sergeant Gardiner said.
