Four day road safety blitz as footy fever hits

Published on 26 September 2018

Police will be out in force this long weekend and are set to saturate holiday hot-spots, regional highways and city roads targeting impaired, speeding and distracted drivers.

Police will test thousands of motorists for drugs and alcohol over the long weekend with footy fans reminded to plan ahead and celebrate safely.

There will be a visible police presence right across the state.

All road users will be targeted, including heavy vehicles, light trucks, cars, motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians.

While police numbers will be boosted over this period, motorists are reminded of their responsibility to keep themselves and other road users safe by ensuring they are not fatigued, distracted, speeding or affected by drugs or alcohol, and that their car is roadworthy.

Alcohol and drug buses will be operating across the state, while Highway Patrol members will also be carrying out drug testing after the Victorian Government provided ongoing funding for police to deliver 150,000 roadside drug tests every year.

During last year’s Grand Final long weekend operation, police detected more than 7,000 traffic offences and 777 criminal offences, including 2,253 speeding offences and 261 drink drivers, while one in ten drivers tested returned a positive drug test.

Operation Scoreboard will run until at 11.59pm on Sunday 30 September.