Local traffic offences rise amid weekend toll on regional roads

Local police saw a jump in impaired driving over the King’s Birthday long weekend this year throughout a road safety blitz. Speeding remains the number one risk on local roads, with police issuing 72 infringements within Alpine, Wangaratta and Moira shires, up from 64 last year. Combined drink/drug driving jumped from seven offences to 11. High-end offending dropped off with vehicle impoundments falling from five last year down to zero. Overall there were eight more offences recorded during this year’s operation, which included 12 unregistered vehicles, four disqualified drivers and four disobey signs/signals. On Saturday afternoon, a 72-year-old Wangaratta motorcyclist died after a collision on Glenrowan Road in South Wangaratta. Police say the male rider collided with a car just after 4pm and the exact cause of the collision remains under investigation. A 30-year-old female passenger in Stanhope and a 17-year-old male motorcyclist in Jeparit also lost their lives over the long weekend. A total 7221 traffic offences were detected over the four-day enforcement period in Victoria – a 20 per cent increase on the same time last year. Assistant Commissioner Mick Hermans said the fact police detected so many offences over the long weekend highlighted that many motorists are knowingly breaking the rules. “We cannot accept this,” he said. “We saw significant uplift in infringements issued for speeding, impairment and distraction, and we know these behaviours are all leading contributing factors in fatal and serious injury collisions on our roads. “We will continue to enforce against those who engage in any risk-taking driving behaviour, and we make no apologies for this.” Police will remain highly visible on the roads across the state, with targeted operations to take place over the coming weeks focusing on vulnerable road user safety. With wet weather and poor visibility increasing as winter sets in across the state, police are urging motorists to take extra care on the roads and to continue to be on the lookout for vulnerable road users – particularly pedestrians and motorcyclists.

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