Four people charged with reckless driving in Great Southern over holiday double demerits season

Great Southern police issued more than 250 speeding infringements and charged four people with reckless driving during their road campaign over the Christmas and New Year period. Double demerits were in force from December 22 to January 7. 7884 people were breath tested in the Great Southern, with 11 people issued court summonses and six people charged with driving under the influence. 11 people were charged with drug-driving and 253 speeding infringements were issued across the Great Southern. A man died during the holiday season when his motorcycle collided with a white Toyota van on South Coast Highway in Denmark. He died at the scene. On Christmas Eve, a 33-year-old man was freed by firefighters after his Ford Escape struck a power pole in Lower King at 7.48am. He received minor injuries but was later charged with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content exceeding 0.08. He is scheduled to appear in Albany Magistrates Court on January 30. Another man was taken to Albany Health Campus with serious injuries on Christmas Eve after the 40-year-old’s Ford Falcon sedan left the road and crashed into a tree around 6.15am on Peter Valley Road. Great Southern acting district traffic co-ordinator Senior Constable David Johnston said the statistics from the double demerits season, the longest of the year, were “pretty standard”. “The numbers give you a pretty good indication that the guys and girls were out there doing their thing, and sadly there were plenty of people offending to keep them busy,” he said. “The traffic campaign during the Christmas period is the longest of the year and there’s a lot of focus because there’s so much traffic. “If you think about the length of the Albany Highway and the beginning and the end of the holiday season, there’s so many people that are moving around. “The more people moving around, the greater the risk, so we focus on it all the more.”