Victoria Police recorded a total of 4803 speeding offences – more than a third of offences detected – during Operation Roadwise, a 12-day road operation targeting speed, impaired driving and distraction.
Of the total recorded speeding offences during the 12-day operation, spanning from 12:01am on Friday, December 16, until 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 27, 3753 motorists were travelling 10km/h-25km/h over the speed limit, an extremely concerning figure for police. Research shows travelling at such speeds greatly increases the risk of a collision causing serious injury or worse, by more than 40 per cent.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Justin Goldsmith, said the degree of speeding detected across Operation Roadwise “is simply unacceptable”.
“The fact such a large proportion of these drivers were at least 10km/h over the limit shows this isn’t just an inadvertent mistake,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Goldsmith said.
“It’s a deliberate, conscious decision, and one that dramatically increases the likelihood of road trauma.”
Victoria Police recorded seven deaths across the operation compared with nine fatalities over the same period in 2022.
Road fatalities in Victoria increased by 3.5% from 230 in 2021 to 238 in 2022, with 132 deaths occurring on rural roads. Seven people died on Wellington Shire roads in 2022.
Drug-driving and illegal phone use also proved cause for concern, with 375 drivers returning positive drug results, 511 drivers returning positive blood alcohol results and 783 motors detected for mobile phone offences.
As part of Operation Roadwise, Victoria Police performed 5122 roadside drug tests. With a 2022 strike rate of one in 14, drug-driving statistics have climbed by nearly 21 per cent since 2021.
Drink-driving offences, on the other hand, declined in 2022, with 511 motorists returning positive blood alcohol results from 201,091 preliminary breath tests, a strike rate of one in 394.
While these statistics were an improvement from last year’s operation, in which one in every 270 motorists tested returned an illegal blood alcohol reading, Victoria Police stated that drink-driving offences remain higher than before the pandemic.
“Of some encouragement is the correction we’ve started to see in alcohol detections off the back of some really troubling impairment figures during the pandemic,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Goldsmith said.
“We’ll continue to strongly enforce in this area, as well as clamping down on drug drivers whose behaviour contributes enormous harm and heartache.”
Victoria police detected 783 drivers illegally using their phones across Opereration Roadwaise, 247 more than in 2021.
Using a phone while driving increases the risk of a collision tenfold; if you use your mobile phone when driving, you also run the risk of being slapped with a $555 fine and four demerit points.
Victoria Police’s road safety operations are now focusing on holiday hotspots, with an increased police presence on the roads expected to continue well into the New Year.
“As we head into the New Year, we’re appealing to drivers to reflect on their habits behind the wheel and use this period as an opportunity to really reset and commit to doing all they can to improve safety not only for themselves but all road users,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Goldsmith said.
“We’ll continue doing all we can, so expect to see police out on the roads and, in particular, those holiday hotspots where we know so many people have chosen to enjoy this summer period.”
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
