There was a 30 per cent year-on-year increase of infringements issued in last month’s statewide road policing blitz throughout the Labour Day long weekend, with police detecting 6442 offences across four days.
Police also recorded a 26 per cent upswing in patrol hours for the operation, compared to the same period the previous year.
“We’ll again be throwing every available resource at this weekend’s Easter road safety blitz,” Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner Justin Goldsmith said.
“We know this is a weekend that attracts significant travel across the state, so we won’t be taking any chances — and neither should you.”
Operation Nexus begins on Thursday, April 2, and continues through the Easter long weekend before winding up at midnight on Easter Monday, April 6.
Police said the operation would see every available resource, from general duties to highway patrol and specialist road policing units, deployed over the five days, and that motorists could expect to be intercepted and tested anywhere, at any time.
During last month’s operation, one in every 473 motorists tested for alcohol was over the legal blood alcohol limit for driving, with 250 drink driving offences from 118,427 preliminary breath tests.
A further 163 drivers returned a positive reading from 3669 roadside drug tests.
Police will also focus on speeding drivers this weekend after almost 2900 speeding offences were detected on the March long weekend, which was an increase of 25 per cent from the same period last year.
“The reality is, we only issue infringements if an offence has been detected, so it’s quite simple — comply with the road rules and you will avoid a penalty,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Goldsmith said.
“At the end of the day, we just want everyone to make it home safely to their families this Easter, and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure that happens.”
Major arterials heading to holiday hotspots and regional areas will be targeted, with lives lost on regional roads accounting for more than half of this year’s fatalities.
Police urge motorists to stay alert when travelling, as complacency can lead to driving errors, such as excessive or inappropriate speed, unsafe overtaking, failing to stop or give way, fatigue and distraction — all of which have been cited as major contributing factors in this year’s fatalities.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads this long weekend, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
