One in 10 drivers caught speeding over the Labour Day long weekend were travelling at more than 25km/h over the posted limit.
Victoria Police said a concerning number of drunk drivers and motorists failing to wear their seatbelts were also detected during Operation Arid.
The statewide effort, which concluded on Monday, March 11 at 11.59pm, came amid a high-danger month for road trauma.
Five deaths were recorded over the four days of the operation, with the most recent being a 15-year-old boy struck riding his bike in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Knoxfield.
Three deaths occurred in single-vehicle collisions on rural roads, a trend that has been of particular concern to police this year.
Victoria Police data shows 2843 speeding drivers were detected during Operation Arid, with 369 clocked at more than 25km/h above the limit.
A further 2161 drivers were travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h above the posted speed.
Statewide, 203 drunk drivers were detected from 76,060 preliminary breath tests, a strike rate of one in 375.
A total of 52 drivers caught shouldn’t have had any alcohol in their system at all.
There were 166 drug drivers detected from 3115 tests, a strike rate of one in 19.
The number of motorists failing to wear a seatbelt or not wearing one properly continued to astound police, with 117 offences detected.
Seatbelts were not worn in two fatalities recorded over the long weekend, one in Picola and the other at Longwarry.
Almost 400 drivers were unlicensed, disqualified or suspended from getting behind the wheel.
A total of 6488 traffic offences were recorded across Operation Arid, comprising of the following:
- 204 unlicensed drivers
- 532 unregistered vehicles
- 2843 speeding offences
- 185 mobile phone offences
- 399 disobey signs/signals
- 109 vehicle impounds
- 117 seatbelt offences
- 184 disqualified/suspended drivers
Victoria Police has reminded motorists that officers can be out anywhere, any time, having launched a new awareness campaign with the Transport Accident Commission last week.
The ongoing presence includes both marked and unmarked police vehicles.
This year, 57 people have died on Victoria’s roads compared with 69 at the same time last year.
“The number of drivers we’ve seen speeding this long weekend is simply unacceptable,” road policing Acting Assistant Commissioner John Fitzpatrick said.
“At high speed, there’s little room for error, and the consequences of a mistake are magnified.
“To put it bluntly, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
Mr Fitzpatrick said drivers should ensure they were safe to be behind the wheel, both in terms of intoxication and seatbelt wearing.
“We’re also seeing too many people getting behind the wheel when they shouldn’t — be it for drinking, taking drugs or not having a licence,” he said.
“To find so many people driving around without a seatbelt is mindboggling.
“A seatbelt can’t save you if you’re not wearing it.”