Victoria Police announced drug and alcohol affected drivers will be a major focus over the holidays due to a high number of recent collisions involving impaired drivers.
Over the past two years, 385 collisions causing injury occurred involving impaired drivers with passengers, and a further 18 caused death.
More than 30 per cent of passengers in collisions where the driver was impaired were aged 18 to 24 years old.
Concerningly, almost a quarter of passengers in collisions where the driver was impaired were aged 17 and under.
Road policing assistant commissioner Glen Weir said all the collisions were completely preventable.
“These drivers haven’t just made an incredibly poor choice by getting behind the wheel impaired, they’ve selfishly chosen to put the lives of their passengers at risk,” he said.
“However, what we also want to highlight is that there were hundreds of opportunities for the passengers in these collisions to speak up and put a stop to this behaviour.”
Police are urging passengers to call out the behaviour and refuse to get in a vehicle if a driver is impaired.
Operation Compass, a 10-day statewide road policing blitz, will be launched on Thursday, April 17, coinciding with the high-risk Easter and Anzac Day period.
The operation will increase police visibility, interception, and testing on Victorian roads.
In NSW, police officers are urging drivers to take extra care following an increase in fatalities on the state’s roads.
In March alone, 39 crashes have resulted in 41 deaths, the highest number in one month since 2019.
Following 338 deaths on NSW roads last year, deputy commissioner Paul Pisanos said the numbers represented a senseless loss of life.
“That’s far too many families left without a son, father, daughter or mother. The road toll rips lives apart,” he said.
“The only way to stop the carnage is for drivers to step up and stick to the rules, it’s just not worth your life. One wrong move behind the wheel, and you’re dead,” he said.
Of the 103 fatalities on NSW roads this year, the majority occurred on regional roads.
Operation Easter, a high-visibility police operation, will see double demerits in place from Thursday, April 17 to Monday, April 21.
Similarly, Operation Anzac Day will run from Thursday, April 24 to Sunday, April 27, with double demerits also in place.
The operations coincide with school holidays, and will target drink, drug, distracted and dangerous driving, as well as speeding, seatbelt and mobile phone use.
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