More than 6600 offences were detected by Victoria Police during Operation Furlong over the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
The statewide road policing operation saw police targeting high-risk driving behaviour over five days, with a particular focus on speeding and impaired drivers.
Assistant commissioner for road policing Glenn Weir said time and time again, they continue to detect far too many people disregarding the road rules and taking unnecessary risks on our roads.
“The number of people detected for impaired driving over the last five days is particularly concerning – these are people who have made a choice to drive knowing they have alcohol or drugs in their system,” he said.
“Don’t try and guess if you’re right to drive or under the limit – just don’t do it. We need people to separate driving from alcohol and drugs.
“Similarly, so many drivers continue to think that if they speed, they won’t be detected, and yet we have caught 2,900 speeding drivers over five days.
One in every 465 drivers who were breath tested were caught over the legal alcohol limit, with 234 drink driving offences detected from 108,910 preliminary breath tests.
A further 135 drug driving offences were detected from 3,079 roadside drug tests – a strike rate of one in every 22 drivers testing positive to drugs.
The majority of offences detected were for speeding, with 79 per cent of drivers caught speeding between 10km/h and 25/km over the speed limit.
Police also caught 459 unauthorised drivers, using automatic number plate recognition technology to detect disqualified, suspended and unlicenced drivers illegally using the roads.
Ass Commr Weir said the message is simple – if you don’t speed, you won’t be fined.
“We make no apologies for penalising people who take ridiculous risks on our roads,” he said.
“So much of this year’s road trauma could have been avoided if motorists took more care and attention on the roads and obeyed the rules – they exist to keep all road users safe.
“Coming into the end of the year, motorists can expect to see ongoing enforcement across the state’s roads, including some major blitzes targeting impaired drivers.”+
The total 6617 offences detected during Operation Furlong included:
2900 speeding offences.
594 unregistered vehicles.
459 disqualified/suspended and unlicenced drivers.
365 instances of disobeying signs/signals.
238 vehicle impoundments.
234 drink driving offences from 108,910 preliminary breath tests.
223 mobile phone offences.
135 drug driving offences from 3,079 roadside drug tests.
108 seatbelt offences.
There were two lives lost on Victorian roads over the weekend, including a male on a mobility scooter who was hit by a car in Malvern East, and a male motorcyclist who collided with a car in Roxburgh Park, both on Sunday 2 November.
Police are urging motorists to remain vigilant behind the wheel throughout November, with the number of lives lost reaching 246, 12 higher than the same time last year.
November recorded the highest number of lives lost in 2024, with 35 fatalities in 30 days.
Police will continue to conduct local road policing enforcement in high-risk areas, particularly on major roads to regional areas and around holiday hotspots.
There will also be significant roadside alcohol and drug testing blitzes conducted on major freeways in Melbourne leading into December.
Operation Furlong ran from 12.01am on Friday 31 October until 11.59pm on Tuesday 4 November.
