A WELL-KNOWN NRL face will be in Leeton on Friday night with an important message to spread.
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Former State of Origin coach Laurie Daley, along with fellow NRL legends Tim Brasher, Steve Menzies and Josh Perry will be in Leeton to speak of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.
The group is in town as part of the Knock-On Effect Regional Roadshow, with similar events being held in other areas across the state.
The event will kick off with the group attending the Leeton Greens training on Friday night at No. 1 Oval and all community members are invited to attend to watch.
Leeton Greens president Bill Arnold said the focus was on spreading the message to all generations.
“There’s a particular focus on those young boys and girls who are about to get their licence, but it’s a message that is important for everyone,” he said.
The group will be part of the training run, as well as hosting a special clinic.
This will be followed by a free community barbecue, as well as a presentation on the issue at hand.
The idea is to prevent the behaviour at a grassroots level, as it is the community who is ultimately impacted by these crimes.
In NSW it is illegal to operate a vehicle with illicit drugs present in the driver's saliva, urine or blood.
According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW Police conducted 31,617 random drug tests between January and July 2015. Of those, 2455 tests returned a positive result, or one in every 13 tests.
In 2015, NSW Police also commenced legal action against 8253 people for driving with an illicit drug present in their system.
Drug driving is becoming easier for police to detect, with regular operations now being carried out in the Leeton shire area in order to catch offenders.
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The roadshow aims to create awareness of drug driving and calling for a stop to getting behind the wheel if affected by an illegal substance.
“There’s a lot of awareness out there now about drink driving, so it’s good the focus is now on this,” Arnold said.
“It’s something everyone should be aware of.”
Friday’s events are open to all community members and there will also be a chance to meet and greet the stars.
The clinic will kick off at 5.30pm at No. 1 Oval.
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