Eastern Region Division 3 Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant David Gillespie said he was "reasonably happy" with the weekend's results, despite seeing an influx of traffic travelling through Greater Shepparton across the four days.
Of the close to 80 offences detected in the Shepparton area, four of these were for people testing positive for drug driving, while the majority of the remaining offences were speed-related.
“Given the amount of traffic we had come into the area, we were reasonably happy with the way the weekend went,” Sen Sgt Gillespie said.
“There were no serious collisions in Shepparton, which was good ... we appreciate the community being patient with a lot of drivers that come into town.”
Over the four-day operation, more than 10 700 traffic offences were detected across the state, which included 269 drink drivers, 146 drug drivers, 403 unlicensed drivers, 4693 speeding offences and 506 mobile phone offences.
Two people were killed on roads across the state.
“On Sunday and Monday there was a lot of traffic heading out of Shepparton back to Melbourne — it was almost bumper to bumper. Given the volume of traffic, we fared fairly well in the Goulburn Valley,” Sen Sgt Gillespie said.
“Unfortunately we still had two people killed across the state during that time in collisions ... we ask people to be mindful and vigilant to ensure we don't have any more fatalities.”
While the statewide operation has finished, Sen Sgt Gillespie said police were anticipating an increase in traffic on local roads over the coming weekends given the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
He urged drivers to be extra cautious when behind the wheel, encouraging them to also ensure their vehicles were safe and well-maintained.
“We ask that people remain vigilant in relation to checking their tyres and their cars ... we will continue to focus on traffic, particularly now on weekends when people are likely to be moving around,” Sen Sgt Gillespie said.
“We ask the community to do the same and be mindful of road safety — if they see someone doing the wrong thing, call people out or ring 000 if it's urgent.
“Be cautious of others in the next few weeks and, particularly now that road conditions have changed, adjust your driving to the changes in road conditions.”
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