Police netted dozens of impaired, speeding and disqualified drivers in the South East during a King’s Birthday long weekend traffic blitz.
As part of Operation Regal, police detected 113 traffic offences in Casey and 105 in Greater Dandenong between Friday 9 June and Sunday 12 June.
Five vehicles were impounded in Casey, while 12 were in impounded in Greater Dandenong.
Most prolific in Casey were speeding offences (69), unregistered vehicles (17), disqualified and unlicensed drivers (9), drink or drug drivers (7),) and seatbelt offences (5).
In Greater Dandenong, there were 36 speeding offences, 20 drink and/or drug drivers, 21 disqualified and unlicensed drivers, 17 unregistered vehicles, nine disobeying traffic signs/signals and seven mobile phone offences.
Operation Regal targeted unsafe driver behaviour believed to be fuelling Victoria’s road toll of 145 as of 13 June.
This is up 37 per cent from the same time last year, and the largest since 2007.
In the lead up, Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Martin O’Brien said the “amount of trauma on our roads is alarming”.
“We are now at a critical point as to whether we can turn this year around and reduce road trauma – we are doing everything we can, but police cannot do it alone.”
Police identified speeding, impaired driving, seatbelt non-compliance, distraction and disobeying traffic signs and unauthorized driving as contributing factors.
They were a key focus for police during the long weekend operation.
Acting Assistant Commissioner O’Brien said it was “really disappointing“ to see the number of offences detected increase.
“It indicates that many motorists are continuing to take risks on our roads,“ he said.
“The wintery weather can create dangerous conditions on these mountain roads and four-wheel drive tracks, and if you’re unfamiliar with these roads or inexperienced driving them, it can be a recipe for disaster.
“We would advise motorists to monitor the conditions and avoid travelling on these roads if you’re unequipped or it is unsafe to do so – you’re better to play it safe than be sorry.“
