We sympathise with those stuck fuming behind the wheel, but we also remind people that there is a price to pay for ensuring the safety of our roads.
Sometimes that price is time, sometimes it is financial.
The price of not ensuring the safety of our roads is much higher.
Vehicle registration fees go towards maintaining our road networks and part of the payment also helps cover treatment and support services for people involved in vehicle accidents under the Transport Accident Commission scheme.
So, checking on registrations and licences contributes to the safety of everyone, and creates a level playing field when it comes to the privilege of driving.
The level of civil disobedience regarding traffic infringements is high and takes up valuable time in the justice system.
Any time spent observing the process of Shepparton's magistrates' courts will give anyone a valuable insight into the relentless parade of registration fee dodgers or driving-while-suspended offences.
Police have been criticised for the timing of Monday's registration and licence checks which did indeed cause delays for those crossing the causeway during peak time.
However, we do not share in the criticism.
Police are duty bound to perform traffic checks, and so must use them to maximum effect.
A response from the police accurately summed up the situation: if we lived in Melbourne we would not be half as loud in our criticism because in that metropolis traffic delays are a regular occurrence.
During Monday's checks between Mooroopna and Shepparton and along Riverview Dve in Kialla, police detected 19 unregistered vehicles and 57 others of interest to police, and 14 penalty notices were issued.
We believe that an average delay of about 10 minutes is a small price to pay to make our roads safer and fairer for everyone.
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