Ballarat police are urging drivers to be responsible to prevent road trauma from occurring on the region's roads this weekend, as Victorians travel for the Easter break.
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Police launched Operation Nexus on Thursday, March 27, 2024, a road policing operation targeted at risky behavior on our roads.
The operation is once again focused on drink and drug driving as well as impairment, speed, fatigue, distraction and seatbelt wearing.
Ballarat Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Ben Hay said everyone has a part to play in keeping Ballarat's roads safe.
"Expect to see a large amount of police this long weekend," he said.
"We will be deploying multiple units ... both unmarked and marked police vehicles and other resources which may include drones being deployed.
"Last year we saw 296 people lose their lives on Victorian Roads. Although we are down 10 per cent this year any life lost is unacceptable.
"Whether you are a driver, passenger, motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian there are many things you can do to significantly reduce the likelihood of being injured or injuring another person on Victoria's roads."
Sixty-seven lives have been lost on the state's roads so far this year, compared to 76 at the same time last year.
Thirteen people have been killed in Victoria over the Easter long weekend in the past six years according to Police.
According to statistics recorded by the Victorian Government, 30 crashes were recorded in the Ballarat local government area in the five day Easter period between 2012 and 2023.
One third of those crashes resulted in at least one person suffering serious injuries. There have been no fatalities.
Ballarat's worst year in the 11-year period was 2012, where there were five crashes recorded.
There were no crashes recorded in 2023, however the number of drivers putting others at risk was a concern.
Speaking to The Courier after 2023's Easter period, Ballarat police described catching speeding drivers as like "shooting fish in a barrel".
Officers nabbed 40 speeding drivers over the five day period.
This year, Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said police will be everywhere making sure drivers are doing the right thing.
"It's also important to remember every police car is a booze bus and drivers can be breath tested at any time," he said.
"We want everyone to survive this Easter and will be doing all we can to make sure that happens."
