Police vouch for good drivers

Nine novice drivers had a pleasant surprise after being pulled over by Bridgetown police over the Christmas-New Year period.

While conducting random breath tests, police have also been on the lookout for well-behaved L and P-plate drivers, Bridgetown Police spokesman constable Jay Pereira said on Monday.

“We have a look at their history and their attitude, and if they’re following all the rules they’re supposed to, ” he said.

“If they’re following the rules, we’ll give them a voucher.”

The vouchers were organised as part of a joint campaign between police and local business owners called Cop It Sweet, Const. Pereira said.

He said drivers had been generally well-behaved in recent weeks, although police charged two Bridgetown residents with drink driving offences overnight on January 9.

A 38-year-old woman was charged with excess 0.08 and lost her licence as did a 59-year-old man who blew a reading of 0.102, Const. Pereira said.

Shire councillor and Chooks proprietor Tony Pratico said he supported the Cop It Sweet program because it encouraged young drivers to do the right thing.

“I’ve been collecting vouchers for a few years now, ” he said. “Because I’ve got a good relationship with a lot of businesses, I can very easily raise vouchers without much effort at all.”

Cr Pratico said Cop It Sweet was similar to the Roadwise program which rewarded well-behaved schoolchildren with bicycles.