Motorcyclists, be warned: police are on the warpath following an increase in accidents involving motorcycles.
Marked and unmarked police cars will pull over motorcyclists, breath test them and check their licences as part of Operation Splinter, a Transport Accident Commission program aimed at reducing incidents involving motorcycles.
The operation, which started at the end of September and will run for seven weeks, will operate around peak trauma times, predominantly Monday and Thursday afternoons.
Westgate highway patrol unit commander Damien Madden said motorcyclists were over-represented in incidents on Wyndham’s roads, with 53 motorcyclists injured in 2014.
That compares with 33 injuries in 2013, 40 in 2012 and 37 in 2011.
Senior Sergeant Madden said police were baffled as to why motorcyclists were involved in so many collisions in Wyndham, with Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong recording only half as many such instances.
He said the Hoppers Crossing and Cherry Street level crossings were blackspots for motorcycle accidents, as was the Western Ring Road junction between the West Gate and Princes freeways.
“It’s a constant challenge for us,” Senior Sergeant Madden said.
“Some of our crashes are due to riders who are clearly inexperienced or are not riding to the conditions or their skill levels.”
He said school holidays coincided with a spike in the number of unregistered trail bikes, monkey bikes and push bikes with motors fitted to them being found by police.
