Having just flown in from Darwin this morning I can vouch for these stats.
Several times when I was driving back to Darwin at night along the Stuart
highway I would find iot safest to hold the centre lane, especially as you
approached bustops in the outer suburbs, as intoxicated locals would simply
jump out into the middle of the lane and merely stand there looking at you
as you approached. A look in the rear view mirror would show them pushing
each other around on the road as they watied for another vehicle (which,
luckily for them are not that plentiful at that time of night). I was sober
and not speeding but I would hate to think of the result had I been
drinking. Another thing that shocked me on arriving in Darwin was the fact
that there is hardly any police presense on the road and none of the locals
I met in the pubs were in the slightest bit deterred about drinking and
driving. There are adds on TV and road signs everywhere, but if they are not
actually getting pulled over and charged then where is the incentive not to
do it?


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