With Easter fast-approaching and, with it, the promise of wetter conditions, police have warned motorists high-risk driving behaviour will continue to be targeted and prosecuted.
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The warning against driver complacency comes on the heels of Operation Arid - a major road safety blitz over the Labour Day long weekend which detected over 7000 offences across the state, including nearly 3000 speeding offences.
Almost 120 people were caught speeding in the Ballarat and Moorabool police service areas, with a further four drivers nabbed for drink- or drug-driving.
Eleven people were also fined for driving unregistered vehicles.
Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew Rigg, who heads the Ballarat and Moorabool Highway Patrols, said while it was pleasing the majority of motorists had complied with road rules over the long weekend, the numbers detected speeding remained a cause for concern.
"Our numbers [were] low in comparison to perhaps other areas of the state, but it's still too high," he said. "Often speeding is down to inattention or bad planning, but people have to realise that if they continue to speed, they will be caught."
"One speeder is one too many; and one drug driver is one too many.
"Thankfully, no one lost their lives on our roads over the long weekend, but [the Ballarat area] has already lost four people this year, so that's four families that didn't have a loved one come home."
There have been five fatalities on Victoria's roads this month, bringing the total number of road collision deaths this year to 55, up from 47 this time last year.
Most of these collisions were due to speeding and impaired driving. Meanwhile, more than 30 people have died on roads in regional Victoria - an increase of about 70 per cent compared to this time last year.
Citing this, acting Senior Sergeant Rigg said it would be a mistake to assume the police presence on roads would diminish in coming weeks, reminding motorists that Operation Engage - a month-long state-wide police operation focused on the prevention of road trauma - was still in progress.
"The month of March is recognised as statistically our worst month of the year for serious injuries and fatalities," he said.
We ask people to take their time, slow down, plan their trips, think about fatigue and drive to the conditions, and, certainly, drink- and drug-driving is not acceptable and will be prosecuted at every opportunity.
- Acting Senior Sergeant Andy Rigg
"We ask people to take their time, slow down, plan their trips, think about fatigue and drive to the conditions, and, certainly, drink- and drug-driving is not acceptable and will be prosecuted at every opportunity."
He added that motorists running late should guard against the common misconception that speeding makes up for an enormous amount of time.
"If you do the maths, you don't make up much time at all - and for the amount of time you think you're making up, you're increasing your risk of injury via collisions hugely," he said.
"It might be an age-old message but it's still really important to understand that it's better to arrive four or five minutes late than [to] not arrive at all."
Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Glenn Weir echoed these comments, likewise cautioning motorists a strong police presence would remain on Victoria's roads in coming weeks.
"Our increased focus on road safety across March has only begun and the community should be assured they'll continue to see police out enforcing during this high-risk period," he said.
"We plead with all road users to make good choices - one bad decision is all it takes to cause a tragedy."
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