More than 6,600 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.
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.
The total 6,617 offences detected during Operation Furlong included:
- 2,900 speeding offences
- 594 unregistered vehicles
- 459 disqualified/suspended and unlicenced drivers
- 365 disobey 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.
Operation Furlong ran from 12:01am on Friday 31 October until 11:59pm on Tuesday 4 November.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir said “Time and time again, we continue to detect far too many people disregarding the road rules and taking unnecessary risks on our roads.”
