Distracted drivers were targeted during the Easter long weekend, with Echuca police recording 56 incidents throughout the high risk period.
Five of these were driving allegedly under the influence, and two were due to a non-traffic-related incident.
Senior Sergeant Damian Keegan said overall the weekend went well from a policing perspective.
“Obviously, we had a lot of traffic on the roads, but fortunately in (the Echuca) area, there were no serious injury collisions that occurred,” he said.
“While any person driving under the influence is disappointing when you look at the traffic that we had, five is not a high number.”
There were about 1500 people who were breath tested by Echuca police between Thursday, March 28, and Easter Monday.
Across Victoria, 8238 traffic offences were detected over the Easter weekend as part of Operation Nexus.
Almost half of those traffic incidents were due to speeding, while 378 were impaired drivers getting behind the wheel allegedly with alcohol and drugs in their system.
There were 137,763 breath tests conducted statewide and 2878 roadside drug tests.
In NSW, police conducted 232,092 breath tests and 17,256 roadside drug tests.
They charged 295 people with drunk driving, and 863 people tested positive during their drug test.
Victoria’s Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said the behaviour in Victoria was unacceptable.
“In the lead-up to Easter, we were concerned a number of people would drive impaired over the Easter period, and sadly, that became a reality,” he said.
“And to see people combining alcohol and speed is terrifying, putting not only their lives but the lives of others at serious risk.”
NSW’s Commander of Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden, agreed and said the shocking behaviour of a minority of road users continues to put people at risk.
“Prior to the start of the operation, I pleaded with all road users to make this long weekend a safe and enjoyable one,” he said.
“Unfortunately, due to the actions of a few, we’ve had more fatalities and serious injuries in a number of serious crashes that could have been prevented if the warning was heeded.”