Police scold careless holiday driving

(Joe Mastroianni).

Seventeen offences were detected on roads in the Macedon Ranges On January 25 and 26 as part of Victoria Police’s Operation Amity.

Police tested more than 28,000 drivers for alcohol or drug related offences across Victoria during the public holiday period, which is considered to be particularly high-risk for dangerous driving.

A total of six speeding offences were recorded in the shire, as well as three incidents of drivers using an unregistered vehicle.

Victoria Police has recently revamped its equipment at its disposal with the introduction of automatic number plate recognition technology, which as the title suggests, is specifically to detect unauthorised vehicles.

Road policing assistant commissioner Glenn Weir said it was a busy period with many heading to regional areas to enjoy the warmer weather.

“Disappointingly, we continue to detect a significant number of motorists flouting the road rules and putting other’s lives at risk – with almost 3000 offences detected in just two days,” Mr Weir said.

“Police patrols have increased on Victorian roads since the end of lockdowns, so motorists should expect to see more police, more often this year. With school resuming next week and more people returning to work now is not the time to be complacent behind the wheel.”