Double demerits: WA Police lay string of reckless driving charges on festive speeders in Christmas blitz

WA leadfoots have racked up whopping fines and demerits after reaching excessive speeds over the double demerit Christmas holiday period. A P-Plater in Wattleup is among those who had their cars impounded after he was caught travelling 146km/h in a 60km/h zone of Wattleup Road on Friday. The 20-year-old Lower Chittering man has been summoned to appear in court at a later date charged with reckless driving. “This is absolute madness – putting lives at risk for a thrill. Zero tolerance for this reckless behaviour. What a bloody idiot,” WA Police’s traffic team posted online. “Told the officer he only had two demerit points left — this reckless choice just cost him 12 points,” police stated. The double demerit period runs between December 20 until January 5 in what WA Police promised would be a targeted Christmas blitz to try and arrest 2024’s horror road toll. Standard cars and motorbikes caught speeding more than 40 km/h in WA are fined $1200 and seven demerit point, while heavy vehicles attract larger penalties. As Santa was delivering gifts on Christmas Day, the driver of a white Toyota ute in Currambine was handed a court date for allegedly travelling 118km/h in a 70km/h zone. The driver was charged with reckless driving and had their ute impounded. In the Great Southern, a driver was caught speeding at 164km/h in a 110km/h zone along Albany Highway in Arthur River. To the north in Bakers Hill on Christmas Eve another was charged with both drink driving and speeding after being clocked at 125 km/h in a 110km/h zone with a breath test returning a 0.126 per cent result. The shocking cases come as the State’s road toll has climbed this year to WA’s worst since 2016 To date, more than 180 people have died in crashes on WA roads.