Alcohol- and drug-affected drivers are relying on Facebook and other social networking sites to avoid police traffic operations, a senior highway patrolman said.
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Maitland highway patrol operations during the past month have uncovered a concerning trend where motorists have posted police locations and operation types on Facebook to share with their friends.
One page devoted to police activity in the Hunter has more than 12,000 followers and offers daily updates about random breath tests, drug-bus sites, the registration numbers of unmarked police cars, and speed enforcement locations in Maitland and surrounding areas.
A post on March 25 about a RBT at the Fitzgerald Bridge in Raymond Terrace saw one person write: “Cheers! No beers on the way home lol.”
Motorists are also using an iPhone application to record police locations on their GPSs which are then transmitted to other drivers using the app.
Senior Sergeant Tony Grace said police frequently looked at information posted and responded with a saturation approach, where crews were situated at the initial site and in the surrounding access roads to catch drivers who tried to avoid detection.
He said motorists who posted were helping drink-drivers and motorists under the influence of drugs to drive undetected, which put the driver’s life and the lives of other motorists at risk.
