SPEED remains a demon the region’s police is still struggling to tame.
Fifty-three speedsters were caught in the Mitchell and Macedon Ranges Police Service Areas during the safety blitz mounted by police over three days coinciding with ANZAC Day.
No speeding offences were detected in the Whittlesea Police Service Area. However, two drink drivers were caught over the limit by police in the area, compared to one in the Mitchell PSA.
In the Mitchell PSA, alleged offenders included one disqualified driver, one unlicensed driver, one caught using mobile phone while driving and three cyclist offences.
In the Macedon Ranges PSA, alleged offenders included one unlicensed driver, three disobeying signs/signals, and four driving unregistered vehicles.
In the Whittlesea PSA, among those caught were one combined drink/drug driver, one disqualified driver, one driving unregistered vehicle and one impoundment.
Hume Acting Inspector Heidi Twining said it was pleasing to see that overwhelmingly, a majority of road users were responsible over the ANZAC Day weekend.
“Disappointingly, we continue to issue far too many infringements to motorists for speeding on rural roads,” Insp Twining said.
She said speeding remains the leading contributor to road trauma, and she warned motorists that if they are involved in a high-speed collision on a rural road, the consequences can be catastrophic.
“We’re urging everyone to slow down, stick to the speed limit and remain alert when travelling on rural roads.”
Across Victoria, Police detected more than 4041 traffic offences during the safety blitz.
Operation Tribute saw police targeting high-risk driving behaviour across the state’s roads in an effort to reduce road trauma.
A total 279 impaired drivers were detected over three days, with 105 of them caught on the public holiday.
There were 178 drink driving offences detected from 68,610 preliminary breath tests – a strike rate of one in every 385 tested caught over the limit.
A further 101 drug driving offences were detected from 1663 roadside drug tests.
Almost half of all offences detected during Operation Tribute were for speeding.
More than 300 drivers caught were either unlicensed, suspended or disqualified from driving, and more than 180 drivers were nabbed using a mobile device while driving.
There was one fatality, with a male motorcyclist killed following a collision with a vehicle on the Western Freeway at Ravenhall on Saturday morning.
Operation Tribute ran from 12.01am on Friday, April 24, and concluded on 11.59pm on Sunday, April 26.
