Speeding heads the list

Victoria Police

Speeding accounted for more than a third of offences detected during Victoria Police’s 12-day operation on the roads this Christmas, with drug driving and illegal phone use also causing concern.

A total 4803 speeding offences were recorded during Operation Roadwise, with 3753 of these motorists travelling 10km/h-25km/h over the speed limit. The figure is extremely concerning as research shows travelling at such speeds increases the risk of a collision causing serious injury or worse by more than 40 per cent.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Justin Goldsmith said, “the fact such a large proportion of these drivers were at least 10km/h over the limit shows this isn’t just an inadvertent mistake. It’s a deliberate, conscious decision, and one that dramatically increases the likelihood of road trauma.”

Speed, impaired driving and distraction were the major focus of Operation Roadwise and Victoria Police analysis shows daily offence detections were up 13.9 per cent compared with last year’s Roadwise operation, which ran across 10 days.

Our road safety efforts now turn to holiday hotspots with the increased presence to continue right through into the New Year.

Police are warning motorists not to become complacent heading into the New Year period with our road policing specialists sharpening their focus on impaired driving and increased traffic movement into key holiday locations.

“We’ll continue doing all we can, so expect to see police out on the roads and in particular those holiday hotspots where we know so many people have chosen to enjoy this summer period.”

For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit → www.police.vic.gov.au