POLICE are disappointed by a rising number of drug affected drivers despite reduced traffic on the road.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Thirteen people were prosecuted for returning positive drug tests in the Bendigo divisions during the Easter weekend.
Police detected 290 offences in the Bendigo division, putting in an extra 1440 hours over the long weekend.
Six people were prosecuted for drink driving, including one Bendigo woman with a blood alcohol content of 0.265.
Three were prosecuted for refusing to undergo a breath or blood alcohol test.
Police also fined people for a number of illegal parties and gatherings.
Police conducted about 240 breath tests, but avoided roadside testing due to protect themselves and drivers from the risk of COVID-19.
Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks said he was disappointed people were continuing to use drugs and drive their vehicles.
He was also concerned with the numbers of drink drivers, especially given the lack of roadside testing.
Senior Sergeant Brooks said traffic volumes were down because the majority of people were complying with social gathering bans.
"The numbers of drink drivers is about the same of what we normally would have for an Easter weekend," he said.
"That is disappointing that people are taking risks on the road and driving with alcohol in their system.
"Those numbers are very concerning to me when we consider the number of breath tests we conducted and the number of drug tests we conducted."
Senior Sergeant Brooks said he was happy to report fewer collisions than past Easters, due largely to decreased traffic volumes.
He said it was a welcome change to have nobody die on the road over Easter.
But Senior Sergeant Brooks said police still had to deal with four serious injury collisions over the weekend.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.