Twenty-five people were caught not wearing seatbelts while others suffered “life-altering” injuries during a 24-day police blitz across the Ballarat region.
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Operation Roadwise finished at midnight on Sunday and senior officers have blasted its results as “nothing short of astounding.”
The end of the sting comes just days after an Indian student with an international driver’s licence allegedly veered onto the wrong side of the road, killing a Fern Hill father in Newbury.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer, Victoria’s top traffic cop, pointed to Thursday’s fatal collision east of Ballarat as he urged drivers to stay alert.
“This is not the start we wanted in 2018 and it's certainly not the start we needed for all Victorians,” he said earlier today.
“The message for 2018 has been keep it cool … whether it's on the roads, the pubs, the clubs, the street.
“I just want everyone to take their time, slow right down and get there safely."
In 24 days, police detected more than 760 offences and impounded eight vehicles in Ballarat and outlying rural areas.
Senior Sergeant Ben Young said several people were left with serious injuries after collisions apart from that which killed Fern Hill father John Wilson.
Thirteen people were nabbed for driving on drugs while 24 were caught drink driving.
“It continues to concern police to see people putting themselves and other road users at risk by this unacceptable behaviour,” Senior Sergeant Young said.
“Locally, we continue to see an over-representation of speeding, unlicensed and disqualified drivers and unregistered vehicles.
“Particularly concerning is the number of people not wearing seatbelts.”
Ballarat police detected 16 disqualified drivers, 48 unlicensed drivers and 90 unregistered vehicles.
There were also 372 people caught speeding, including 26 people travelling more than 25 kilometres over the limit.
Six people have been killed in eight days on Victoria's roads in a grim start to 2018, compared to two deaths in the same time period last year.
Rural roads have featured in these crash statistics for the first week of the year, with five deaths on country roads and four involving a vehicle slamming into a tree or pole, Mr Fryer said.
He called on residents to prevent impaired people from getting behind the wheel.
"We're holding the line, we're doing what we need to do to keep Victorians safe, but there is a part in this for community to toe the line.”
- with AAP
