A whopping 225 drivers were caught doing the wrong thing on Wyndham roads during the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
Operation Furlong, which ran from Thursday through to Tuesday last week, resulted in 47 drivers being nabbed for speeding, 35 for driving an unregistered vehicle, and 23 for not wearing a seatbelt.
Sixteen drivers were caught drink-driving, 15 using their mobile phone behind the wheel, 12 driving while unlicensed, and a further 12 with disqualified licences. Westgate highway patrol’s Senior Sergeant Ely Reynolds said results of the five-day operation were disappointing.
“Speed is one of the main focuses of the operation. Any degree of speed [over the limit] is unacceptable,” he said.
Looking to the future, Senior Sergeant Reynolds said police would focus on unauthorised drivers.
“Drivers with disqualified or suspended licences account for five per cent of all fatal collisions. Sixty per cent of unauthorised drivers get back behind the wheel before their period of suspension or disqualification is over, which is an alarming rate.
“We will target that in Wyndham and surrounding municipalities, too.
“My advice to drivers out there thinking about getting behind the wheel without a licence is don’t take the risk.
“We do have the technology to detect people operating vehicles outside their licence conditions, and we will enforce it accordingly.”
Senior Sergeant Reynolds said the focus of the Westgate highway patrol members on Thursday and Monday was having a high
police presence on the major arterial roads inbound and outbound of Wyndham so people were aware they were about.
The others days were focused on testing for alcohol and drugs.
Other offenders detected throughout the operation were five drivers disobeying traffic controls, three committing cycling offences, and five whose vehicles were impounded.
In neighbouring police service areas, 61 drivers were nabbed on Maribyrnong roads, 69 in Hobsons Bay and 98 in Melton.
