By Olivia Condous
Victoria Police were out in force throughout the state as part of a road safety campaign to protect travellers over the holiday period.
The first phase of Operation Compass ran over the Easter long weekend period and saw a high number of road offences recorded in the Melton and Moorabool areas.
According to data from Victoria Police there were more than fifty speeding offences recorded by highway patrol units in both areas. In the Melton area, there were fourteen alcohol and drug related driving offences reported during the five day period.
Overall the Melton police service area recorded 114 road related offences and the Moorabool area recorded 70.
Moorabool highway patrol Sergeant Nathan Monteduro said police were ready for a high increase in traffic on the roads as Victorians were finally allowed to travel freely for the holidays.
“Most people were doing the right thing, but we’re still dealing with a lot of motorists that should know better,” he said.
While local police reported the first phase of the operation ran smoothly, speeding offences were notably a pressing issue.
“We did have quite a few speeding on the roads, it continues to be an issue,” Sergeant Monteduro said.
“We’re not talking about small speeding offences, but speeding that comes with a loss of license and people not taking due care,
“We had one offender in Bacchus Marsh who was driving at a speed of 74 kilometres per hour in a 40 limit zone.”
Victoria Police reported a total of 2948 speeding offences across the state from Thursday to Monday, out of a total 7783 offences.
Two lives were lost on Victorian roads over the Easter weekend due to fatal collisions.
Victoria Police assistant commissioner of road policing Glenn Weir said the risky behaviour of the thousands of motorists caught speeding over the weekend was unacceptable.
“We are pleading with motorists to please be patient and stay alert when travelling and returning home from holidays,” he said.
