NT town's plan to reward sober drivers

The township of Katherine is rewarding people who blow a zero blood alcohol reading by giving them a chance to win cash.

You can't fault the idea for creativity.

In terms of being Territory quirky and great marketing, this is right up there with the Million Dollar Fish.

But do we really need to be rewarding people for not breaking the law?

This scheme failed to resonate with at least one driver in Katherine

Drivers in Katherine who recorded a zero blood alcohol limit between Christmas Eve and January 27 will have the chance to win one of four $500 accounts with Bendigo Bank.

Winners will be drawn randomly from a list.

This scheme failed to resonate with at least one driver in Katherine over the Christmas period. She was a 23-year old with two children in the car, including an unrestrained 20-month-old toddler. The woman allegedly blew .161 and was caught after police avoided a collision with her at an intersection.

Drink driving is a major issue in the Northern Territory.

In the holiday period just gone, 75 Territorians were pinged for drink-driving – despite all the warnings and publicity about police operations. During the same period more than 6000 people were tested, and passed.

In 2014, statistics showed there was one drink-driving offence recorded for every 50 random breath tests in the NT, compared to one in every 263 tests in Victoria and one in every 208 tests in NSW.

The positive note of the above results from the holiday period is that the offending rate drifted out to one offence in every 80 random breath tests.

Those tested didn't necessarily gain a ticket to win cash. They got something more important – the chance to live another day.

Do you think other states should reward drivers with the chance to win cold hard cash? Let us know in the comments below.