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ABC News
ABC News
National

Disqualified driver allegedly with drugs, alcohol in system clocked at extreme speeds at Bordertown

A man has been arrested for driving at extreme speed in South Australia's south-east last night, the second incident in recent days.

SA Police have said patrols detected a Ford Focus travelling at 196 kilometres per hour in a 110kph zone on the Dukes Highway near Bordertown just after 8pm on Tuesday.

Police stopped the vehicle and the driver allegedly returned a positive reading to drug and alcohol tests.

Further checks revealed the driver was disqualified from driving.

Sergeant Peter Williams said police were also investigating reports of dangerous driving.

"There had been multiple reports that the vehicle was allegedly involved in overtaking dangerously on double-barrier lines, almost having collisions with oncoming vehicles in Keith a short time earlier," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

"Checks on timelines on that revealed the vehicle allegedly travelled between Keith and Bordertown at speeds averaging over 200kph."

Police have charged the 38-year-old Modbury Heights man with several offences including driving at an extreme speed, and he was bailed to appear in the Bordertown Magistrates Court in March.

He received two instant loss of licenses, one for drink driving for six months and one for driving at an extreme speed for 12 months, which will take effect at the end of his current disqualification period.

His car was also impounded for 28 days.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the man had only picked up his car from being impounded for "previous offending" the day before he was arrested.

The latest arrest follows a learner driver who was allegedly clocked at 253kph on the North-South Motorway on Monday night, in "one of the highest speeds ever captured" on South Australian roads, according to police.

Commissioner Stevens described the two incidents as "highly-dangerous behaviour".

"These extreme speeds are just horrifically dangerous," he told ABC Radio Adelaide's Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.

"The fact that people don't kill innocents on the roads, it's only a matter of time unfortunately."

Commissioner Stevens said SA Police were using the "extreme speed" laws, which came into effect just over a year ago, "all too often".

The law means police have the power to suspend a driver's licence on the spot for extreme speeding. 

"Having the ability to take more decisive action against these people, and hopefully that's followed up by the courts, is only a good thing," he said.

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