Police have issued over 1,000 infringements during a road policing operation focused on pedestrian safety.
Operation Aware, which has been running since May this year, has seen local and state highway patrols, solo unit, bike and foot patrols targeting behaviour that leads to road trauma involving pedestrians.
A total 1082 offences have been detected to date during the operation, with close to half of these issued to motorists for speeding offences.
Police have been conducting the operation in high-risk metro areas that sees high volumes of pedestrians intersecting with other road users, including Melbourne CBD, Glen Eira, Stonnington, Monash, Whitehorse, Casey, Hume, Wyndham and Geelong.
There have been 27 pedestrian deaths on Victorian roads this year – down slightly from 35 at the same time last year.
Eight-five per cent of pedestrian deaths have occurred on metropolitan roads, including five in Casey, and a further four in the Hume area.
Police have focused enforcement on areas with 40-60km/h speed zones, where pedestrian trauma most commonly occurs.
Of the 479 speeding offences detected, 82 per cent were for motorists caught travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.
Concerningly, police have detected 16 impaired drivers during the operation, including 12 drug driving and four drink driving offences from 957 preliminary breath tests and 426 roadside drug tests.
Police also issued 70 infringements to motorists caught using a mobile device while driving, which attracts a $627 penalty and four demerit points.
The total 1082 offences detected to date during Operation Aware include:
- 479 speeding offences
- 77 vehicle defect notices
- 70 offences for using a device while driving
- 46 disqualified / unlicenced drivers
- 46 disobey traffic signs / signals offences
- 32 motorcyclist offences
- 18 seatbelt offences
- 18 heavy vehicle offences
- 13 vehicle impoundments
- 12 drug driving offences from 426 roadside drug tests
- 11 cyclist offences
- 6 pedestrian offences
- 4 drink driving offences from 957 preliminary breath tests
Operation Aware will continue this month, with May to August historically the highest risk period for collisions involving pedestrians.
Police will remain on the lookout for vehicles failing to give way, and behaviours that put pedestrians at risk including speeding, distraction and impaired driving.
Police will also continue to proactively engage with pedestrians about their own safety, including using designated footpaths and crossings and remaining alert when intersecting with roads and vehicles.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
Quotes attributable to Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Mick Hermans:
“While pedestrian trauma is currently trending down this year, we cannot afford to be complacent – particularly as August remains a high-risk month for collisions involving pedestrians.
“During Operation Aware we’ve witnessed some concerning behaviour, primarily by motorists engaging in dangerous driving activity that put pedestrians at significant risk.
“That’s things like speeding in built up areas, driving while distracted by mobile devices, drink and drug driving, and failing to stop and give way.
“We will continue to prioritise pedestrian safety and target those behaviours that put our most vulnerable road users at risk.
“We also ask all road users to consider what actions they can take to prioritise their safety, particularly with inclement weather conditions and reduced visibility to continue throughout this month.”
