Geelong highway patrol targets speeding drivers in early-morning highway operation

They say the early bird catches the worm, and police are up at all hours making sure speeding drivers around Geelong are held to account. Here’s how they do it. SEE THE VIDEO

Education is the focus for police officers in Geelong’s Highway Patrol unit as they embark on a new targeted operation.

It’s 4am on a Wednesday morning and officers are briefed on what to expect from their morning’s work – catching speeding drivers on the area’s arterial roads.

Acting Senior Sergeant Fletcher Pearson said Operation Early Bird was targeting high-speed activity on arterial roads in the region, including on the ring road, Bellarine Highway, and Bacchus Marsh Rd in the hopes of increasing safety for motorists.

Sergeant Pearson has been a police officer for 21 years, 16 of which have been in road policing.

He worked in a major collisions unit for six years, which he said included some of his most rewarding experiences.

A car is pulled over in the early hours of Operation Early Bird. Picture: Alan Barber

“I’ve never felt more rewarded in my life than being at major collision, dealing with families,” Sergeant Pearson said.

“That’s what we’re instilling … in the new members, is if we go to a fatality, our number one thing is to serve the deceased and (their) family, and to do it at the highest standard, to try and give that family an answer of why it occurred.

“They’ll never get (their family member) back, but if we’re professional, we investigate it to the highest level, at the end of the day the family will be grateful.

“How better can you serve the community?”

According to Transport Accident Commission (TAC) data, in the calendar year to midnight, March 21, 2022, there have been 62 lives lost on Victorian roads.

There were 53 lives lost at the same point in 2021, according to the data.

Sergeant Pearson said fatalities on the road were why he believed enforcement was key to educating drivers.

“I’ve never educated by warnings, I’ve always educated by enforcement,” he said.

“I can pull someone over and go ‘you were speeding, please don’t speed again’ and drive off, and that person will just speed again.

Acting Senior Sergeant Fletcher Pearson says he has anecdotally noticed an increase in offending behaviour on the road since Covid restrictions have lifted. Picture: Alan Barber

“But if I’m going to give them a $300, $400, $500 ticket or take their licence off them, they’re going to think again.

“The end result is, if you speed, you can kill someone, (or) seriously injure yourself or others.”

Sergeant Pearson said the Highway Patrol Unit has “no discretion” with offenders – “if you’re pulled over (for doing the wrong thing), the law will be enforced”.

At 5am, Sergeant Pearson joined colleagues who had just pulled over a driver for following too close behind another vehicle.

He said at 80km/h, a driver’s reaction times were inhibited, made even worse if a person was following too close to the car in front of them.

“(There’s) not enough time to stop, in case the car in front has to do anything (like stop suddenly),” he said.

“No time for you to be able to take evasive action.”

Other offences caught that morning included 31 speed offences, one unregistered driver, one unlicensed driver and one seatbelt offence.

Acting Senior Sergeant Fletcher Pearson gives a briefing before officers hit the road. Picture: Alan Barber

Officers conducted 31 drug tests and 37 alcohol tests, all of which were negative.

Sergeant Pearson said since the region had emerged from Covid restrictions, he had anecdotally noticed an increase in offending behaviour on the road, although it was not as bad as it could be.

“I think we’ve been lucky that we haven’t been worse off,” he said.

“There’s such an increase in cars on the road that haven’t been there, people haven’t driven for years, or their vehicles haven’t been serviced … and they’re just jumping in their car and driving again.

“The offenders who are high speeders, during Covid there were less vehicles on the road for them to affect.

“Now there’s more vehicles on the road, these people are still doing their behaviour and there’s a higher chance of collisions occurring, or near misses.”

Sergeant Pearson said police had ramped up patrols on the region’s roads in line with the influx of drivers, which was having a positive effect on deterring offenders.

Leading Senior Constable Shane Digman operates a speed detection laser on the Bellarine Highway in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Picture: Alan Barber

“Our patrol times are going up, our enforcement’s going up, and our attendance at collisions that maybe don’t fit our (Highway Patrol) criteria is going up, which can only benefit the local uniform members as well,” he said.

At 5.20am, Sergeant Pearson joined other colleagues, who reported a constant stream of offenders where they were stationed.

The officers station themselves for laser readings of speeds in the medium strip of a highway and detect another speeding offender.

Once they have pulled the driver over and taken the necessary information down for the fine – which will be sent via mail – they perform a U-turn, and station themselves in the same spot.

Less than five minutes pass before they start the process over again with another offender.

Sergeant Pearson said it was important to have the continuous presence of officers on the road.

“For us, it’s about a visible police presence out on the road to make sure that people realise that we can be anywhere at any time,” he said.

“If they’re pulled over, (it’s) because they’re doing something wrong.”

Operation Early Bird will be conducted on an ongoing basis.

Originally published as Geelong highway patrol targets speeding drivers in early-morning highway operation