Police say Tragic end to Labour Day long weekend

Police officers responded to a series of tragedies on Victorian roads, with four fatalities and significant road trauma this Labour Day long weekend.

In addition to four devastating deaths on the roads, the weekend also saw four separate collisions in Indented Head, South Melbourne, Wattle Hill, and Carwarp which left four people all in a critical condition.

Victoria Police’s Operation Arid, which ran over four days concluding last night, detected 6762 traffic offences, with 215 drink drivers and 195 drug drivers caught.

Detections solidified that using a mobile phone while driving continues to be an ingrained behaviour in some drivers, with 263 people caught across the four-day operation.

Other traffic offences detected as part of the operation included:

• 161 disqualified/suspended drivers

• 2906 speeding offences

• 239 unlicensed drivers

• 724 unregistered vehicles

• 385 disobey signs/signals

• 113 vehicle impounds

• 128 seatbelt offences.

Operation Arid ran from 12.01 am on Friday 5 March to 11.59pm on Monday 8 March.

Quotes attributable to Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy

“This long weekend, we saw tragedies on our roads with four people dying and four others left with life-threatening injuries.”

“Heartbreakingly, their families and friends will now be left to pick up the pieces, and four families will now be mourning the loss of their loved ones.”

“Road trauma is preventable. While police saw the majority of people do the right thing on our roads, too many people were selfishly putting their lives, and the lives of others, at risk.”

“All we ask is for people to have a little more patience and care on our roads so that everybody can arrive at their destinations safely.”