Police will be cracking down on drink and drug driving over the AFL Grand Final long weekend.
Operation Scoreboard, which starts at 12.01am on Thursday, September 28, and runs until 11.59pm on Sunday, September 30, will see police conducting widespread roadside alcohol and drug testing state-wide.
Police are warning Victorians celebrating the football finale that there will be zero tolerance for drink and drug driving, and motorists should expect to be tested while out on the roads this weekend.
It comes as the number of lives lost on Victorian roads has soared to a seven-year high, with 210 fatalities so far in 2023, 27 higher than the same time last year.
In our region, 35 people have died on the roads since New Year’s Eve, including five in September alone.
Provisional police analysis of this year’s fatal collisions in Victoria indicates that drugs and alcohol are the second and third highest contributing factors to fatalities, with speed remaining the highest.
More than half of this year’s fatalities have also been attributed to low-level non-compliance, such as lower levels of speeding and drink driving, distraction and failing to obey road signs.
Police said miscalculating alcohol consumption was one of the most common reasons given to police when drivers were caught over the limit — suggesting that many people were prepared to risk having a few drinks before getting behind the wheel.
Last year, police detected 436 drivers for drink and drug driving offences during Operation Scoreboard, with 123,568 alcohol and drug tests conducted by police.
With the long weekend in Victoria coinciding with the school holidays, police will also ramp up enforcement on major roads heading to regional areas and holiday hotspots.
Motorists heading away for the weekend are urged to take extra care by avoiding distractions, taking plenty of breaks and refraining from speeding on regional roads, where more than half of this year’s fatalities have occurred.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir encourages people to have a great long weekend but not to let it be a weekend to remember for “all the wrong reasons”.
“Drinking and driving don’t mix, so if you’re planning to have a drink on grand final day, don’t drive — leave the car at home, arrange a designated driver and utilise alternative transport options,” he said.
“There is no excuse for driving while impaired, and there will be zero tolerance for those caught drink or drug driving.
“Just don’t take the risk.”