Police remind motorists to stay safe ahead of Melbourne Cup, South Australia

South Australia Police have a message for all motorists ahead of tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup: don’t gamble with your life, and the lives of others, by doing the wrong thing on our roads.

There will be an increase in police presence across the state for the annual Melbourne Cup with Operation Stop Drink/Drug Driving held to coincide with the racing event.

Extra police will be on our roads to detect and deter drink and drug driving offences by conducting random mobile testing.

Last year police tested over 3,600 drivers during the same operation.

Ten drivers were detected drink driving, and a further five returned positive drug tests, from 164 drivers drug-tested.

Among the 10 drivers detected drink driving, a 32-year-old man from Redwood Park blew 0.113, more than twice the legal limit, and a 40-year-old woman from Narrunga returned a result of 0.110.

Five drivers were issued with an immediate loss of licence, and four vehicles were impounded.

Superintendent Robert Gray, the Officer in Charge of the Traffic Services Branch, hopes motorists will take more responsibility for their careless actions this year.

“The results from last year are very disappointing,” he said.

“We don’t want to see any number of drivers ignoring our warnings and risking their own safety and the safety of others.

“When a driver makes a decision to drink or drug drive, they’re also making the decision to risk a potential tragic outcome in which they kill or injure someone.

“We suggest taking public transport, or organising an alternative mode of transport home if you plan on consuming alcohol, because there is never a valid excuse for drink driving.”

Operation Stop Drink/Drug Driving Melbourne Cup will begin tomorrow, Tuesday November 5 at 3pm and will end at 11:30pm.

/Public Release. View in full here.