Police release traffic operation results

ACT Policing's Traffic Operations has completed its two day campaign (September 8 and 9) with Queanbeyan's Highway Patrol in an effort to detect motorists driving unregistered vehicles or without a valid licence on ACT and NSW roads.

The campaign saw the combined use of ACT Policing's number plate recognition system RAPID (Recognition and Analysis of Plates IDentified) and NSW Police's equivalent ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) in an effort to monitor all vehicles travelling through the detection zone.

Using this technology, police were able to identify and check up to 400 vehicle number plates an hour. The campaign was held around Queanbeyan and bordering suburbs of the ACT on major vehicle corridors.

Over the two day period, ACT Policing and NSW Police noted the following combined results for vehicles carrying either ACT or NSW number plates:

• 49 infringement notices issued for unregistered/uninsured motor vehicles;
• five unlicenced/suspended drivers detected;
• seven seatbelt offences;
• six vehicle defect notices issued, with one vehicle considered unroadworthy.

ACT Policing's Traffic Operations' Superintendent Mark Colbran has reminded drivers of the dangers associated with driving unregistered vehicles or without a valid licence.

"Unregistered vehicles and unlicenced drivers are disproportionately represented in serious and fatal motor vehicle collisions. So the more unlicenced drivers and unregistered vehicles we get off the roads, the safer it will be for all road users," Supt Colbran said.

RAPID is in regular use by Traffic Operations throughout the ACT and has scanned more than 60,000 vehicles since January 2008. Further joint operations are also planned targeting other areas in and around the ACT and Queanbeyan.