Local police are expecting a big weekend on the roads as thousands of Melbourne residents flood to Geelong and the Surf Coast for the Melbourne Cup ling weekend once restrictions ease this evening.
Police will be running road safety initiative Operation Compass until Tuesday night and again next weekend to target the key factors of road trauma, including speed, impairment, distraction and fatigue.
“The coming fortnight is a perfect storm on our roads. Many of us haven’t driven long distances for months. Our skills may have deteriorated, roads may have changed and there’s going to be an enormous amount of traffic as people escape the city and head to regional Victoria,” the Geelong Police Eyewatch Facebook page posted yesterday.
“Visitors heading to regional areas should remember that more than half of the lives lost on Victorian roads occur in regional areas and on country roads.
“In regional Victoria, following the recent easing of restrictions we’ve seen at least four fatal collisions in five days and several injury collisions where drink driving is suspected.
“Please – slow down, be aware of your surroundings and don’t use your phone while driving.
“Be patient, as many of the major roads and highways will be busier than we’ve seen for many months as people hit the road.
“We ask our community to take care on the roads and to expect an increase in travel times.
“Please, help us make this time memorable for all the right reasons. Road trauma is preventable and we don’t want to see anybody else become an unnecessary statistic.”
Eleven lives were lost on Victorian roads last year when lockdown lifted and police are determined to avoid a repeat.
There have already been 190 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2021, which is trending well above the same time last year (178).
