General News
19 December, 2025
Police presence to rise during holidays
Local motorists are being urged to proceed with caution on unfamiliar roads as they travel throughout the Christmas period, with Victoria Police’s Operation Roadwise hyper focused on all driving offences.
The Victorian Government is encouraging drivers to make the right choices behind the wheel this holiday season as the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and Victoria Police launch their ‘How your holiday ends is your choice,’ campaign, highlighting the risks of speeding and drink driving, and the critical role police will play in detering dangerous behaviours.
The campaign, which is targeted at holiday season travel, comes as 272 people have lost their lives on Victorian roads in 2025 – compared with 274 lives lost at the same time last year.
Meanwhile, Victoria Police has already increased traffic enforcement operations, with Operation Roadwise commencing yesterday, targeting the same dangerous behaviours including speed, distractions, and drink and drug driving.
The State Government last week announced a $21 million boost to road policing operations that will see increased drug testing and expanded the use of technology to catch unauthorised drivers.
Maryborough Police’s Acting Senior Sergeant Matthew Ormson said these operations will certainly be ramped up locally.
“It’s part of a statewide operation, and going to ensure full coverage of local roads in the lead up to Christmas and New Years, which is a particularly high risk time for our roads,” he said.
“We will be targetting major arterials and holiday hot spots across the region, and there will be a major focus on impaired driving, so we will be testing for drug and alcohol, there will also be a high visibility presence to people driving at risk, and we are trying to influence people’s behaviours to mitigate any risks over the holiday period.”
In line with Victoria Police’s Christmas campaign, Sgt Ormson wants local motorists to remain vigilant as they travel over Christmas, and make appropriate decisions before embarking on unfamiliar roads.
“Locally, just before and during Christmas, people are just trying to get to their families, so there is a lot more of an increased amount of traffic on the roads,” he said.
“There are possibly a lot of people on unfamiliar roads, and after Christmas, an influx of people going on holidays who have probably never travelled on those roads before, unsure of the conditions. So we are trying to urge people drive to the conditions, if you’re not comfortable with the roads, obviously slow down.”
Sgt Ormson has also urged local motorists to report unsafe driving during this time to police.
“If members of the community see something that doesn’t sit right with them, or behaviours of driving they don’t think is acceptable, by all means call Triple Zero (000), and we will get out there as quick as we can to try and resolve it, or mitigate the risk,” he said.
Operation Roadwise will be in force until New Year’s Day.