Police have been left bitterly disappointed after a P-plate driver was allegedly caught drink driving twice in 12 hours.
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The second high alcohol reading was taken after his car crashed near Ballarat.
Ballarat Senior Sergeant Paul Maslunka said it was part of Operation Scoreboard, which had generally seen good behaviour on local roads since it began on Thursday morning.
Police said the drama began around 6pm Thursday, when a 29-year-old Epping man was pulled over for allegedly exceeding the 110kmh speed limit in a red Mazda sedan on the Western Freeway at Myrniong
After a positive roadside reading he was taken to a police station and returned an evidentiary breath test of 0.13 per cent. Probationary drivers must normally return a zero blood alcohol reading.
The man's licence was immediately suspended and he was issued with infringement notices for drink driving, exceeding the speed limit by 20kmh and failing to display P-plates.
Just 12 hours later police were called to reports of a suspected drink-driver on the Western Highway at Warrenheip.
Police said that as officers were heading out, they were told a red Mazda had crashed into a roadside pole.
The driver - the same 29-year-old - was assessed at the scene and taken to a police station where he again blew 0.13 per cent.
Police said they discovered infringement notices and paperwork for his licence suspension inside the wreck.
He was charged with exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol and driving while suspended.
The man has been bailed to face Ballarat Magistrates' Court on November 21.
The incidents happened during Operation Scoreboard which runs state-wide this weekend and will see police conducting widespread roadside alcohol and drug testing across the state.
""While this incident is an isolated incident it does highlight the fact that some people still aren't getting the message or are so self-absorbed, they don't care about other road users," Senior Sergeant Maslunka said.
"Realistically we deal with less than one per cent of road users doing the wrong thing through the year - but it's that group that are consistently involved in causing road trauma.
"I'd like to acknowledge the other 99 per cent out there who are doing the right thing and encourage everyone to do their part to keep the roads safe this long weekend."
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