Highway Patrol officers from Shepparton through to Latrobe took to the roads on February 27 as part of Operation Buckle Up to ensure drivers and passengers were putting their safety first.
While the operation primarily focused on seatbelt offences, police across the region detected a total of 154 traffic offences.
These included 58 speeding offences, 15 mobile phone offences, nine unregistered vehicles, four drug drivers, one drink driver and six unlicensed, disqualified or suspended drivers.
One vehicle was also impounded in relation to driving while disqualified.
Eastern Region Road Policing Inspector Stephen Cooper said seatbelts were the simplest safety measure people could take before driving.
“The number may not seem high, but that's 15 people who have actively chosen to put their lives at risk,” he said.
“That's almost double the amount of people who have sadly lost their lives already this year as a result of not buckling up.
“If you're unfortunate enough to be involved in a collision, it may just be that seatbelt that saves your life.”
Insp Cooper said police were often given a range of excuses from people who had failed to put on their own, or their children's, seatbelt.
He reminded drivers that the minute they get into their vehicle they are susceptible to road trauma, no matter how long or short the journey.
“We find that the older generations of people who may have grown up without seatbelts being compulsory still think they don't need it,” he said.
“There are others who feel they don't need it (a seatbelt) because they're only driving down the road.
“We'll keep driving the message until people start buckling up.”
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