Brisbane south wakes up to drug and alcohol testing

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Wake up Brisbane south, more alcohol testing and drug testing are on the way!

Operation Wake Up has started on Brisbane south roads, with drug testing and alcohol testing two of the key tactics that Queensland Police will be using.

The major road operation will run on Brisbane south roads between November and December. Its aim is to reduce road fatalities in the area. Last year, there were 13 fatalities on Brisbane south roads and, with a little less than 2 months remaining in 2018, we’ve already had 18 fatalities.

As stated on the Queensland Police website, “Operation Wake Up intends to create a visible police presence in and around South Brisbane District roads to promote positive driving behaviour. There will be upwards of 200 extra police on South Brisbane roads leading up to the busy Christmas period.”

As well as educational and promotional campaigns, Operation Wake Up will of course include what the police call traffic enforcement activities, when they’ll be out in force looking for drivers who aren’t doing the right thing. This will include drug testing and alcohol testing on Brisbane south roads.

The first such traffic enforcement activity was held in Cannon Hill earlier this week and there was some good and not so good news to come from the event.

The good news was that while 2334 drivers undertook roadside alcohol testing, not a single person was found to be over the legal limit.

The bad news was that drug testing in the same Brisbane south area saw three people return positive results to drugs. These people are likely to be charged once results from additional drug testing are returned. With two of the fatal crashes on Brisbane south roads involving driving under the influence of drugs, Operation Wake Up will no doubt see a major emphasis on drug testing to detect those people who take drugs and get behind the wheel.

Note: As well as driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, the biggest contributors to road trauma on Queensland roads – labelled The Fatal Five – are speeding, not wearing a seat belt, fatigue and distractions.

Drug testing in Brisbane workplaces

With Operation Wake Up doing its bit to keep people on Brisbane south’s roads safer, it’s pertinent to add that drugs and alcohol at work are also major contributors to trauma. Integrity Sampling’s Queensland Head Office is based in Brisbane and we have a regional network of Queensland branches and technicians, strategically based to ensure we are able to provide drug testing and alcohol testing services to most areas of the state.

Call us today on 1300 SALIVA to discuss your drug and alcohol testing needs.

Note: Integrity Sampling uses the same technology as Queensland Police for it’s workplace testing.

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Wake up Brisbane south, more alcohol testing and drug testing are on the way! Credit Highway Patrol Images https://www.flickr.com/photos/special-fx/4928957336/

By Michael

Michael is the founder of Integrity Sampling and is responsible for overseeing all national operations. He is based at Integrity Sampling's head office in Melbourne and is also responsible for the co-ordination of drug and alcohol testing within Victoria, assisting in the implementation of drug and alcohol (fit for work) policies and the presentation of drug and alcohol education and awareness programs. You can connect with Michael Wheeldon on LinkedIn

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