Michaela Meade
Police are warning drivers travelling between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria to stay alert over the long weekend.
Police have said an influx of travel to regional areas and tourism hotspots, resulting in increased traffic volumes.
Combined with long hours behind the wheel and a deterioration in driving skills could be a recipe for disaster, police said.
It comes as the state’s road death toll is already sitting at 190 for 2021.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said it was important to stay alert at the wheel.
“Victorians have done a fantastic job in the fight against COVID-19, but it’s no good surviving the pandemic if you end up dead or seriously injured in a car crash,” he said.
“The coming fortnight is a perfect storm on our roads. Many of us haven’t driven long distances for months.
“Our skills have deteriorated and there’s going to be an enormous amount of traffic as people escape the city and head to regional Victoria.
“Victoria Police will be going all out to keep people safe.
“You will see highway patrol cars, you will see drug and alcohol buses, you will see our motorbikes and you will see our frontline patrol units.
“Please, help us make this time memorable for all the right reasons.
“Road trauma is preventable, and we don’t want to see anybody else become an unnecessary statistic.”
Police will be patrolling Victoria’s major roads and highways across the Melbourne Cup weekend as travel restrictions continue to ease.
Operation Compass will run statewide in two phases, from 12.01am Friday, October 29 to 11.59pm Tuesday, November 2, and from 12.01am Friday, November 5 to 11.59pm on Sunday, November 7.
Police urged motorists to slow down and take extra care with roads to be at their busiest in months.
