Almost 13,000 traffic offences were detected during an extended road policing operation over the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.
Operation Compass commenced on Thursday 14 April and concluded on Monday 25 April, coinciding with a traditionally high-risk period on Victorian roads.
Almost 40 per cent of offences detected were for speeding, with 579 motorists alarmingly caught driving more than 25km/h over the speed limit.
Police conducted more than 182,000 roadside alcohol and drug tests with 855 motorists caught for drink or drug driving offences.
There were 453 drivers nabbed for driving while disqualified or suspended and 464 for driving while unlicenced. A total 1360 unregistered vehicles were detected.
The total 12,791 offences during Operation Compass included:
• 4966 speeding offences
• 1360 unregistered vehicles
• 587 disobey signs/signals
• 464 unlicenced drivers
• 453 disqualified/suspended drivers
• 451 mobile phone offences
• 445 drink driving offences from 172,413 preliminary breath tests
• 410 drug driving offences from 10,579 roadside drug tests
• 313 vehicle impoundments; and
• 251 seatbelt offences
There were five lives lost on Victorian roads over Easter, with fatal collisions in Elwood on Thursday 14 April, Caulfield on Sunday 17 April, Greenwald and North Melbourne on Monday 18 April and Baxter on Tuesday 19 April.
Four of the five lives lost were pedestrians struck by vehicles – with police pleading with motorists and pedestrians to watch out for each other as visibility reduces and weather conditions worsen heading into winter.
There have been 81 lives lost in 2022, 16 of them in April.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
Quotes attributable to Acting Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, David Clayton:
“It is disappointing that police detected almost 13,000 offences during Operation Compass – that’s almost 13,000 instances of people making poor decisions and putting themselves and others at risk on the road.
“Tragically five lives were lost during Easter- four of them pedestrians struck by vehicles. With worsening weather conditions and reduced visibility as winter approaches it is imperative motorists and pedestrians look out for one another.
“While our statewide operation may have concluded rest assured police enforcement against poor road user behaviour remains ongoing. We will be doing everything to protect our most vulnerable road users”.
