Victoria Police’s Labour Day operation has launched today, Friday 11 March, as part of a state-wide road safety blitz.
Operation Arid will run for four days over the long weekend, with police targeting high-risk driving behaviour in an effort to reduce road trauma.
Five years worth of data showed that March had historically been the highest-risk month on Victorian roads, with collisions being attributed to speed, impaired driving, fatigue and seatbelt non-compliance.
25 people died during March last year, seven of those people over the Labour Day long weekend.
“We know the Labour Day long weekend is a busy event period and a popular time to travel, so we’re anticipating lots of Victorians hitting the roads over the coming days,” Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Glenn Weir said.
“We’ll be out with our full contingent of police vehicles to ensure everyone is doing their bit to keep themselves and all other road users safe.
“With such a significant number of fatalities so far this year, we’ll be doing everything we can to prevent any further lives being lost on Victorian roads.”
Police will be targeting popular travel routes into regional Victoria, particularly with the sunny weather conditions forecast, as well as surrounding roads near major events and music festivals taking place across the state.
Extensive alcohol and drug testing will be set up in those areas to prevent impaired driving.
There were 6762 traffic offences detected during the Labour Day long weekend in 2021 with 2906 speeding offences, 215 drink drivers, 195 drug drivers and 263 mobile phone offences.
Having already ramped up enforcement for March, police expect with the help of new numberplate technology that’s already detected 101 unauthorised drivers this month, the operation will be successful in deterring dangerous driving habits and preventing fatalities.
