DRUG-drivers, speedsters, inattentive motorists and recovery of a stolen motorcycle were among the incidents Northern police dealt with during Operation Zero yesterday.
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The 24-hour campaign, which ended at 11.59 last night, was as much about road safety education as it was about enforcement of the road rules.
Acting inspector Andrew Keane, of Northern District Support Services, said he was pleased with the generally high level of compliance shown by road users, considering how many officers were out in force.
Launceston detectives, out on traffic duty for Operation Zero, intercepted a stolen motorcycle in Vermont Road, Mowbray.
The Suzuki DR-Z400 motorbike had been stolen from Legana overnight on Monday.
``The CIB detected it was stolen and someone was riding it; that person is being spoken to by police,'' Acting Inspector Keane said.
He said police had caught a few speeding drivers, issued several vehicle defect notices, and detected a couple of drug-drivers.
Acting Inspector Keane said the very heavy fog, which rolled across Launceston overnight, and the icy conditions had not caused difficulties for drivers.
``We would traditionally have a lot of crashes, but we did not.
``The other real concern was the number of motorists who ran red lights in the CBD between 8am and 9am.''
The Examiner rode with constables Christian Schriever and David Eaton in a marked police car for two hours yesterday morning.
The officers stopped four drivers in the Launceston area for suspected offences.
They cautioned a Dilston woman, 74, for speeding at 114km/h in a 100km/h zone on the East Tamar Highway, because of her clean record.
However, they penalised a Launceston woman, 66, for speeding at 74km/h in a 60km/h zone on Lilydale Road, Rocherlea, because of her previous record.
She was fined $110 and lost two demerit points.
INCIDENT REPORT
Incidents reported during Operation Zero included:
- An inattentive truck driver was fined after he ran into the back of a car on Bridport Road, near Weymouth, about 9am; no serious injuries were reported.
- Fifty-five people caught using their mobile phone while driving in Hobart; penalty is $300 and three demerit points.
- Thirteen drivers fined or cautioned for running the red light at the intersection of Davey and Murray streets, Hobart, in one hour.
- At the same intersection in Hobart within 15 minutes, two drivers were caught using mobile phones, one person wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and four people were caught running the red light.
- A 44-year-old man was charged with drink-driving on the Bass Highway, blowing 0.062 before 10am.
- TasRail urged the public to dob in rogue drivers to police, having witnessed six level crossing incidents in the North-West in 48 hours.
