General News
6 June, 2024
Drive safe this winter
With winter officially here and the King’s Birthday long weekend kicking off tomorrow, motorists are being urged to take caution on the roads with wet, foggy and icy conditions settling in. Police are asking drivers to take extra care, with...

With winter officially here and the King’s Birthday long weekend kicking off tomorrow, motorists are being urged to take caution on the roads with wet, foggy and icy conditions settling in.
Police are asking drivers to take extra care, with reduced daylight and wintry conditions affecting visibility on the roads.
The warning comes as police launch Operation Regal, a statewide road policing effort over the long weekend aimed at reducing road trauma.
With several events and festivals scheduled across the weekend, police are advising motorists to avoid driving while impaired, with widespread drug and alcohol testing to be conducted.
Last year, police issued more than 6500 infringements during Operation Regal.
There were 2652 motorists detected speeding, 366 detected for drink and drug driving offences and 224 caught using their mobile phone behind the wheel.
Victoria’s snow season is also set to start this weekend, and police will be highly visible and enforcing on major arterials and roads leading to alpine areas.
A recent poll by RACV showed that 38 percent of respondents plan to spend the June long weekend on a road trip or heading to Victoria’s High Country.
Before driving along snow-covered roads, Victorian motorists should check their tyres for adequate tread.
During winter and prolonged cold weather, car batteries are more likely to go flat so it’s important to test battery strength and park your car in a garage if possible.
RACV head of policy James Williams said driving in the winter months is very different to when roads are dry, and daylight hours are longer.
“Winter driving brings its own concerns, where visibility can be impacted by fog and snow and less daylight hours can increase fatigue and impact our perception of road conditions,” he said.
“In winter, RACV is reminding motorists to drive to conditions, which may mean slowing down, and to increase the distance between the car in front.
“If taking a longer road trip this winter, perhaps for the upcoming long weekend, RACV encourages motorists to pull into rest stops, get some fresh air, stretch, and recharge before getting back behind the wheel.
“Getting to your destination a few minutes later than planned is better than putting yourself and other motorists at risk when you’re fatigued.”
Victoria Police intelligence — covering the last five years — shows on average 43 percent of winter collisions occurred in the afternoon between 12 pm and 6 pm.
Around 7800 injury collisions were recorded during the time period between 2019 and 2023.
Statewide, Friday between 12 pm and 6 pm was identified as the most dangerous time during winter overall, with around 1200 injury collisions and 21 fatal collisions recorded during the five-year period.
Injury collisions on regional roads most commonly occurred on Saturday between 12 pm and 6 pm during the winter months.
“This analysis should serve as a reminder to all motorists heading into this long weekend to take extra care, particularly if the weather is challenging and you have to factor in poor visibility or conditions like rain, ice or snow,” Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said.
Operation Regal is now underway until 11.59 pm on Monday, June 10 2024.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.