Police are warning distracted drivers to be more careful on the roads this month.
As a part of Operation Distract, Echuca police will be targeting driver distraction, failure to wear seat belts and speed-related offending.
Based on local intelligence, these factors have been found to be a defining factor in many reported collisions and fatalities within the Campaspe region.
Seargent Tony Keely said that people in cars should not consider wearing a seatbelt as optional.
“Some people think they don’t need to wear a seatbelt; they hear a rare story about how someone was saved because they weren’t wearing a seatbelt, and they believe that,” he said.
“But for everyone you allegedly hear that happen to, there are probably thousands of people where wearing a seatbelt has saved their life.”
The use of mobile phones while driving will also be targeted throughout March.
“People just think a little glance down to make a phone call or look at a text is not too bad. Even just a little glance down can make the car drift onto the wrong side of the road or off into the grave,” Sgt Keely said.
“It seems like a common practice but it’s still very dangerous, and the consequences of one little movement could have catastrophic effects on the rest of their lives and the lives of other people.”