More than 100 drivers caught breaking the law in Shepparton area over festive period

A police crackdown over the festive period has uncovered some “totally unacceptable” driving in the Goulburn Valley, with hundreds of traffic offences detected over the holiday period.

A driver who allegedly blew nearly six times the legal blood alcohol limit was just one of hundreds caught breaking road laws over the festive period in the Goulburn Valley.

More than 100 traffic offences were detected in the Shepparton area as part of a festive period crackdown on dangerous driving.

Victoria Police discovered more than 100 offences in the Shepparton area alone during an 18-day road safety operation over the Christmas and New Year period.

As part of Operation Roadwise, police in the Shepparton service area caught 58 speeding offences, seven disqualified drivers and impounded eight vehicles.

Four drink drivers and six drug drivers were also caught, as well as seven unlicensed drivers.

On December 29, an erratic driver was pulled over on Benalla Road in Shepparton, returning an alleged positive breath test of 0.294 — nearly six times the legal limit.

He was charged with drink driving offences and will face the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in April.

In another incident, police intercepted a motorcycle rider on Hogan St, Tatura on New Year’s Day.

The man was found to hold a disqualified licence and also allegedly tested positive for drugs.

His bike was impounded and he will face the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

Police in Tatura intercepted a disqualified motorcycle rider under the influence of drugs on New Year’s Day.

Another incident in Tatura saw a driver of a blue Holden Commodore leaving a licenced premises, returning an alleged blood-alcohol level of 0.171, more than three times the legal limit.

Police saw the man and were hoping he was a designated driver to get his mates home, but were left “severely disappointed”.

In nearby Wangaratta, there were more than 400 offences detected by police.

This included 276 speeding fines, 15 drink drivers and 14 vehicle impoundments.

In the Bendigo service area, there were 143 speeding offences, 26 unregistered vehicles and 22 mobile phone offences detected.

Police in Bendigo also caught 10 drink drivers and 11 drug drivers.

Operation Roadwise, which ran from 12.01am on Friday December 15, 2023 to 11.59pm on Monday January 1, 2024, saw police highly visible on major arterial roads and highways across Victoria in an effort to reduce road trauma.

There were 16 lives lost on Victorian roads in that same period, with a total of 296 lives lost in 2023 — the highest number of annual fatalities in 15 years since 2008.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said the behaviour over road users during the period was “totally unacceptable”.

AC Weir pleaded with drivers to improve and focus in 2024, appealing to motorists to “reflect on their habits behind the wheel, take responsibility for their actions and prioritise their safety, as well as the safety of their passengers and all other road users”.

Multiple fatality collisions also surged to “unprecedented levels”, with the highest number of crashes killing four or more people occurring last year than in any other year since 1987.

“To put this into perspective, this time last year there had been two double fatalities resulting in four deaths,” he said.

“This year, we’ve had 14 double fatalities, four quadruple fatalities and two quintuple fatalities, which equates to 54 deaths from 20 collisions.”

Of the 296 lives lost, 130 were drivers, 56 were passengers, 45 were pedestrians, 51 motorcyclists, nine cyclists and four were categorised as “unknown”.