General News
20 December, 2024
Tis the season to be Roadwise
Police are pleading with motorists to prioritise road safety over the Christmas and New Year period, as they commenced Operation Roadwise last Friday.
The statewide road policing operation will run for an extended 20-day period and will see police highly visible across the state’s major roads and arterials around coastal areas and popular holiday spots across regional Victoria.
There will be a significant focus on impaired driving, with police conducting widespread alcohol and drug testing every day throughout the operation.
During last year's Operation Roadwise, more than 300,000 preliminary breath tests and almost 9,000 roadside drug tests were conducted.
“As we head towards the end of the year, we’re urging everyone to make road safety a priority," Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said.
“The last place you want to end up this Christmas is in a hospital, or worse, as a result of road trauma."
Data shows December is the worst month of the year for drink drive offending, recording the highest number of drink driving detections and most collisions, where the driver was over the blood alcohol limit.
Motorists are being warned they should expect to be tested anywhere, any time and to separate drinking and driving by planning ahead, arranging a designated driver or using alternative transport.
To avoid receiving an infringement and having a costly Christmas, motorists are advised to obey the road rules and stick to the speed limits.
Police issued more than 19,000 traffic infringements during last year’s Operation Roadwise including 7,631 speeding offences.
There were 17 lives lost on Victorian roads last year between December 15 and January 1.
There have been 273 lives lost on Victoria roads to date, which is slightly below 276 at the same time last year.
“It’s been another devastating year on our roads, and we make no apologies for doing all we can to prevent further serious injuries and deaths," Assistant Commissioner Weir said.
Operation Roadwise commenced at 12.01am on Friday December 13, 2024 and concludes at 11.59pm on Wednesday January 1 2025.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads during the festive period visit www.police.vic.gov.au/road-safety