More than 5000 offences were detected by Victoria Police during Operation Scoreboard over the AFL Grand Final long weekend.
The four-day, statewide road policing operation saw police targeting high-risk driving behaviour, with a particular focus drink and drug driving.
Police detected 213 drink driving offences from 112,750 preliminary breath tests – a strike rate of one in 529 drivers caught over the limit.
Of those, 30 per cent were caught for exceeding a blood alcohol limit of 0.00 BAC – meaning they should not be driving with any alcohol in their system at all.
A further 130 drug driving offences were detected from 2,593 roadside drug tests.
The total 5,483 offences detected during Operation Scoreboard included:
• 2,341 speeding offences
• 489 unregistered vehicles
• 352 disqualified/suspended and unlicenced drivers
• 282 disobey signs/signals
• 251 mobile phone offences
• 213 drink driving offences from 99,099 preliminary breath tests
• 130 drug driving offences from 2,945 roadside drug tests
• 111 vehicle impoundments; and
• 95 seatbelt offences
Despite widespread police enforcement across the state, there were four lives lost over the weekend, including a 25-year old Newborough man who was hit by a truck while riding his skateboard at Moe on Thursday 28 September; a 41-year old Eltham North male motorcyclist who collided with a car at Templestowe on Saturday 30 September; a 19-year old Cowes male passenger who died in a collision at Cowes on Saturday 30 September; and a 21-year old Frankston male passenger who died following a collision with a caravan at Langwarrin South on Sunday 1 October.
The weekend’s fatalities bring the number of lives lost on Victorian roads this year to 216, 29 higher than the same time last year and the highest in seven years.
Operation Scoreboard was conducted from 12:01am Thursday 28 September to 11:59pm Sunday 1 October 2023.
Quotes attributable to Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir:
“It was busy across the state’s roads as many Victorians made the most of the long weekend, enjoying the AFL Grand Final celebrations and the fantastic spring weather.
“This also meant a busy weekend for Victoria Police, with our members detecting over 5000 offences over four days during Operation Scoreboard.
“Police focused heavily on drink and drug drivers, and while pleasingly the majority of those tested were doing the right thing, we still detected 343 drink and drug driving offences over the weekend – this is unacceptable.
“While many celebrated across the weekend, it was a tragic period on the roads with four lives lost in separate collisions.
“With the number of lives lost now at a seven-year high, it is paramount that we all do everything we can to stop more trauma on our roads this year. Now is not the time to be complacent”.
