IMPAIRED driving and safety on local intersections will be a key focus of police as they look to keep the community’s holiday period from going south for Operation Compass.
The consecutive long weekends this year will see police launch an extended 10-day statewide blitz, with every available resource to be deployed until the conclusion of the ANZAC Day long weekend.
New police data put impaired drivers on notice, with analysis of collision data showing 989 impaired drivers with passengers on board were impacted from 385 collisions causing injury and a further 18 causing death over the past two years statewide.
Wangaratta Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant David Gillespie said the city’s major roads were set to be flooded by police and urged the community to expect the force to be seen anywhere, anytime.
“We unfortunately continue to see minor risk-taking behaviour that results in catastrophic consequences such as people not wearing seatbelts and people answering their phone thinking it’s ok,” he said.
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“We really need to get that message out there to drivers and passengers of vehicles that if you see something unsafe, be brave enough to call it out and be brave enough to stop it before it eventuates into something catastrophic.
“Easter and ANZAC Day is a significant time of year for a lot of people and it gives them an opportunity to get away at a time where it’s still very good weather.
“We really need to make sure drivers and passengers are being safe on our roads.”
Young drivers aged 18 – 24 made up the largest number of impaired drivers carrying passengers, with over 32 per cent, followed by those aged 30 – 39 making up a further 20 per cent.
Safety on local intersections will also be in the crosshairs of the force over the next 10 days.
Snr Sgt Gillespie said intersection issues in the region involved poor driver decisions and drivers “letting their guard down” as they approach them.
He said too many people were being killed from intersection collisions and everyone was responsible for stopping that trend.
“I’m asking people who are going to come up to our part of the world to make sure that if they haven’t seen any cars for 10 minutes because they’re in a rural environment, doesn’t mean there won’t be one as they come up to an intersection,” Snr Sgt Gillespie said.
“People need to make sure they are paying attention to road signs and obeying them, they are not there because they look pretty, they are there to keep everybody safe.”
Last Sunday a 77-year-old male Wangaratta motorcyclist tragically lost their life after striking a cow on Lake Mokoan Road near Benalla.
Snr Sgt Gillespie said the incident was an unfortunate reminder local people can lose their lives on local roads, no matter how familiar they are with them.
“Unfortunately, at times livestock does get on our roadways but we also have wildlife such as deer, wombats and kangaroos,” he said.
“Driving around our rural setting particularly around early morning and late evening when animals are more likely to be prevalent requires more attention by drivers and passengers.”
Police commonly observe increased road trauma over the Easter and ANZAC Day holiday period, catching 399 drink drivers and 280 drug drivers throughout last year’s statewide blitz.
Snr Sgt Gillespie said it was not worth taking even the smallest of risks on our roads.
“Going a little bit over so you might get there five minutes early is not worth the risk in relation to trauma, it’s not worth the risk for the impact on your drivers’ licence and it’s not worth the risk for the impact it could have on passengers or anyone else involved in a collision,” he said.
“We want people to enjoy this time in our local communities, but we want people to be safe.”
The state government are urging drivers to take regular rest breaks - to help prevent accidents and avoid potential tragedy.
This Easter more than 30 sites will be set up across the state in conjunction with TAC’s Pause Stop sites – dedicated hubs where drivers can pull in to grab a free cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit to recharge.
Volunteers will spend their long weekend encouraging safe driving behaviour to ensure road users get to their destinations safely and enjoy quality time with loved ones when they arrive.
Operation Compass will run from Thursday until midnight Sunday, 27 April.
