Your speed is killing us, say police

ACROSS the state, police have been alarmed at the rate of traffic offences they are detecting as part of Operation Roadwise.

However, while there has been a worrying haul of drink and drug driving offences, mobile phone breaches, incidents of not wearing a seatbelt and speeding; there’s a same’ol standout offence in the Bass Coast and South Gippsland policing districts.

“Without a doubt our number one is speeding,” said Sergeant Clint Goff of the Bass Coast Highway Patrol.

“It’s far and away our biggest problem in the local area, high and low speed, and it is really concerning.”

Sergeant Goff said speed, including driving too fast for the road and weather conditions, was highlighted in too many collisions, especially fatal collisions.

“We’re running three and four shifts-a-day at the moment on patrol and all of the stationary cameras are out there, as part of Operation Roadwise, but drivers need to be taking the responsibility for it themselves and slowing down.

“Our next biggest one is mobile phone detections, attracting a fine of $577 and four demerit points if you’re caught on a mobile devices while driving.

“Then it’s the problem of not wearing seatbelts. For some reason it’s more of an ongoing issue in country areas, but once again, we see the shocking results of that when there is a collision.”

In the first five days of Operation Roadwise, Victoria Police detected a total 4701 offences. They conducted 72,372 preliminary breath tests, with 190 drivers detected for drink driving – a strike rate of one in every 381 motorists tested caught over the limit.

There were also 131 motorists caught drug driving, with 2,312 roadside drug tests conducted. Mid-range speeding between 10km/h and 25km/h has resulted in the most infringements issued, with those motorists receiving a $385 fine and three demerit points for the offence.

Police are also concerned at the high number of mobile phone detections, 274 drivers in less than a week, and 106 motorists caught not wearing a seatbelt.

Police will continue to conduct highly visible road policing enforcement over the Christmas to New Year period where Victorians are expected to travel to coastal areas and regional holiday hotspots across the state.

Motorists are being urged to be patient and allow extra travel time, as well as maintaining a safe braking distance, particularly around caravans and heavy vehicles.

Operation Roadwise commenced at 12:01am on Friday, December 15, 2023 and concludes at 23:59pm on Monday, January 1, 2024.

Most traffic operations police missed out on Christmas with their families to keep the community safe, so don’t expect any leniency at this time of the year, especially if you are speeding or using your mobile phone on Bass Coast and South Gippsland roads.

However, while there’s been a responsible attitude to not drink-driving or drug-driving in Bass Coast and South Gippsland so far, there was still New Year’s celebrations and holiday social events to get over, prompting Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir to issue the following statewide warning:

“Despite our continuous warnings, we are appalled at the amount of motorists we’ve detected drink driving since Operation Roadwise commenced,” said Assistant Commissioner, Weir.

“This just shows that people are making extremely poor choices and opting to get behind the wheel after having a couple of drinks.

“Our message is clear – there is no excuse for drink driving. This behaviour needs to stop.

“We’ll continue to conduct highly visible enforcement over the remainder of the year and into January, with a major focus on alcohol and drug testing. Expect to be tested and face the consequences if you’re caught.

“Despite our best efforts over this period, we’ve still seen seven lives lost on our roads and we’re staring down the barrel of the worst year on Victorian roads in 15 years.

“It’s up to all of us now to limit the amount of trauma for the remainder of this year – we want to ensure everyone makes it home safely to spend Christmas and the New Year with their loved ones.”