Police detected more than 1000 traffic offences as part of a major road policing operation during Victoria’s snow season.
Operation Eastern Snow saw police highly visible, with enforcement targeted on roads heading to and from snowfields including Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham.
Almost half of offences detected were for speeding, with the majority of drivers caught travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the limit.
Police also conducted 3381 preliminary breath tests and 432 roadside drug tests during the operation, with five drink-driving offences and nine drug-driving offences detected.
The offences detected during Operation Eastern Snow included:
• 518 speeding offences — 368 for speeding between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit;
• 233 heavy vehicle offences;
• 145 defect notices;
• 72 unregistered vehicles;
• 23 seatbelt offences;
• 19 disqualified, suspended or unlicensed drivers;
• 11 drivers disobeying traffic signs or signals;
• Nine drug drivers;
• Five drink drivers;
• Three mobile phone offences; and
• Three impoundments
Despite the high number of infringements issued, police said overall driver behaviour was positive.
Eastern region road policing Acting Inspector Michael Cirksis said police had received positive feedback from local communities that their highly visible police presence during the snow season had resulted in greater compliance with the road rules.
“However, we continue to detect far too many drivers flouting the rules — more than a thousand traffic offences detected is a significant amount of offending,” he said.
“Speeding continues to be the most common offence detected, which is concerning given some of the roads in the region have been significantly impacted by ice and snow at times throughout the winter months.”