General News
14 March, 2024
Speeding tops local offences
A significant number of speeding offences were recorded over the Labour Day long weekend, including more than 30 locally — with authorities labelling these incidents as “a recipe for disaster”. As part of Victoria Police’s statewide...
A significant number of speeding offences were recorded over the Labour Day long weekend, including more than 30 locally — with authorities labelling these incidents as “a recipe for disaster”.
As part of Victoria Police’s statewide Operation Arid, which ran from March 8 to March 11, a total of 60 road rules breaches were detected in the Goldfields Police Service Area (PSA) which covers the Central Goldfields, Mount Alexander and Loddon shires.
Out of these, the highest number of offences were related to speeding, with 33 incidents observed.
There were also several unregistered vehicles on the road, as well as around a dozen motorists under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.
Around Victoria, data shows 2843 speeding drivers were detected during the operation, with 369 travelling at more than 25 km/h above the limit.
A further 2161 drivers were travelling between 10 km/h and 25 km/h above the posted speed.
“The number of drivers we’ve seen speeding this long weekend is simply unacceptable,” Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner John Fitzpatrick said.
“To think so many people were driving at extreme speeds is even more worrying.
“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.”
Additionally, authorities said the number of motorists failing to wear a seatbelt or not wearing one properly continued to be a concern, with 117 offences detected across the state, including two in the Goldfields region.
“To find so many people driving around without a seatbelt is mindboggling,” Act Asst Comm Fitzpatrick said.
“A seatbelt can’t save you if you’re not wearing it.
“These results should serve as a wake-up call to anyone doing the wrong thing on our roads.”
Victoria Police is reminding drivers that officers can be out anywhere, anytime having last week launched a new awareness campaign with the Transport Accident Commission.
The ongoing presence includes both marked and unmarked police vehicles.
So far this year 57 people have died on Victoria’s roads compared with 69 at the same time last year — and the rate of collisions on rural roads also remains an issue.