Almost 9000 traffic offences were detected by Victoria Police during the statewide Operation Furlong over the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
The six-day road policing blitz focused on enforcing speed limits, as well as roadside alcohol and drug testing, as police looked to clamp down on high-risk driving behaviour.
One in every 487 drivers who were breath tested were caught over the legal blood alcohol limit, with 337 drink driving offences detected from 164,170 preliminary breath tests.
A further 220 drug driving offences were detected from 3398 roadside drug tests – a strike rate of one in every 15 drivers testing positive to drugs.
With the summer months on the horizon, Police are urging motorists to remain vigilant behind the wheel by sticking to speed limits, taking plenty of breaks on long trips and avoiding distractions like using mobile phones while driving.
The total 8908 offences detected during Operation Furlong included:
3893 speeding offences;
746 unregistered vehicles;
382 disqualified/suspended drivers;
270 unlicenced drivers;
515 disobey signs/signals;
337 drink driving offences from 164,170 preliminary breath tests;
418 mobile phone offences;
220 drug driving offences from 3398 roadside drug tests;
151 vehicle impoundments; and
153 seatbelt offences.
Operation Furlong ran from 12:01am on Friday 30 October to 11:59pm on Wednesday 4 November.
