FROM Ballarat to Bairnsdale, Stawell to Orbost and Warrnambool to Wodonga, it was a zero tolerance stand on the state’s roads.
Police were out in force over the Labour Day long weekend for Operation Arid, a state-wide road policing operation from 12.01am on Friday, March 8 to 11.59 pm on Monday, March 11.
Wellington Police said that within the Wellington service area, many Highway Patrol Units were sent out in addition to general police road duties.
Their focus was speed, impaired driving, fatigue, distraction offences and seatbelt compliance.
On the morning of last Friday (March 8), Wellington Highway Patrol, along with Sale Police Members conducted a breath test site in Sale. More than 400 tests were conducted and the only offence detected was an unregistered vehicle.
“What a great result, keep up the good work Wellington community”, police wrote on social media.
After Operation Arid finished, Victoria Police expressed concern about extreme speed and seatbelt use amid a high-danger month for road trauma. Historically, March has the highest volume of road trauma in both metropolitan and regional Victoria.
State and local highway patrols around the state had run drug and booze buses, with a significant police presence around several music festivals.
One in 10 drivers caught speeding over the Labour Day long weekend were travelling at more than 25km/h over the posted limit.
A concerning number of drink drivers and motorists failing to wear their seatbelt were also detected during Operation Arid.
Five deaths were recorded over the four days of the operation, the latest a 15-year-old boy struck riding his bike at Knoxfield. Three deaths occurred in single vehicle collisions on rural roads, a trend which has been of particular concern to police this year.
Data shows 2843 speeding drivers were detected during Operation Arid, with 369 travelling at more than 25km/h above the limit. A further 2161 drivers were travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h above the posted speed.
Statewide, 203 drink drivers were detected from 76,060 preliminary breath tests, a strike rate of one in 375.
A total of 52 drivers caught shouldn’t have had any alcohol in their system at all.
There was 166 drug drivers detected from 3115 tests, a strike rate of one in 19.
The number of motorists failing to wear a seat belt or not wearing one properly continues to astound police, with 117 offences detected.
Their importance couldn’t be more profound, with seatbelts not worn in two fatalities recorded over the long weekend. This occurred at a previously reported fatal crash in Longwarry last Friday, as well as in Picola.
Almost 400 drivers shouldn’t have been on the road because they were either unlicensed, disqualified or suspended from getting behind the wheel.
Victoria Police is reminding motorists officers can be out anywhere, anytime, having last week launched a new awareness campaign with the Transport Accident Commission.
The ongoing presence includes both marked and unmarked police vehicles.
So far this year, 57 people have died on Victoria’s roads compared with 69 at the same time last year.
“The number of drivers we’ve seen speeding this long weekend is simply unacceptable,” Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner, John Fitzpatrick said.
A total of 6488 traffic offences were recorded across Operation Arid.
