Tortoise catches fewer hares
POLICE operation tortoise has seen 5500 people across the northern region breath tested over four days.
Only 18 people were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, 24 fewer than the same time last year.
A total of 267 people were booked for speeding and 22 were fined for not wearing seatbelts.
Police have issued 301 traffic infringements and 279 other driving-related infringements.
There was one death, on the Clarence Way at Woodenbong when a 45-year-old woman rolled her car at about 1.30am on Sunday.
There were 15 car crashes reported to the police, down 13 on last year. Six were people injured in the crashes.
Local driving infringements included a P-plater caught doing 150kmh in a 100kmh zone at Ballina on Saturday. He had four passengers in the car at the time. On the same day a Tweed man was twice charged with drink driving.
On Thursday, a Lismore woman was caught driving in Keen St, Lismore, with a disqualified licence. She had three unrestrained children in the car.
A female P-plater was caught doing 91kmh in a 50kmh zone at Wyrallah, also on Thursday.
On day four of a state-wide operation, police did 44,950 breath tests and laid 72 drink-drive charges and 995 speeding charges. This was an improvement on last year.
