By Rhett Burnie
FRUSTRATED police say they are appalled after nabbing more than 20 motorists for driving offences during a recent blitz on the Northern Highway at Wallan.
Highway Patrol officers from Wallan and Seymour conducted the six hour crackdown where six people were caught driving with a disqualified licence.
One of the wayward drivers had his car impounded after he was caught driving while disqualified for a second time.
Two unlicensed drivers were also detected, along with 11 motorists who were driving unregistered vehicles.
Another motorist who has prior drink driving offences and is required to have an interlock fitted in their vehicle was taken off the road after police discovered the device had been illegally removed.
A stolen car was also located during the operation and police issued a defect notice for one vehicle, while a truckie received a fine for a log book offence.
The blitz was part of Operation Eastern, which was set up to tackle the dramatic rise in road deaths in country Victoria this year.
Mitchell Shire falls into the state’s eastern police region where 68 road fatalities have occurred this year, 17 more than this time last year.
But despite the blitz, drivers still weren’t getting the message, with Wallan Highway Patrol clocking a Roxborough Park man travelling at 172 km/h on Donnybrook Road in Donnybrook last Sunday.
He was fined $611 and lost his licence on the spot.
Just hours later the stupidity continued, with a 20-year-old Whittlesea man caught driving at 160 km/h on the Northern Highway, near Kilmore.
Unbelievably, the same man was caught again the next day, when police clocked him travelling 33 kilometres over the speed limit on the Northern Highway at Heathcote.
Senior Constable Steve Williams from Wallan Highway Patrol said the young driver had put others in danger.
“This type of action not only puts himself at risk, but every other road user around him as well,” he said.
He said motorists are not getting the road safety message.
"A large number of the fatal collisions in this region have been single vehicle, off-road collisions with key factors including speed, fatigue and other driver carelessness.
He urged the community to support road safety initiatives.
"But it is not just up to the police, the community need to be involved as well,” he said.
"If you are worried about the driving of a family member or colleague, you need to speak up.
“If you are a passenger in a car and the driver has been driving for a long period, or is speeding, or not concentrating, speak up.
“It’s your life too,” he said.
Traffic advisor for eastern region division one, Snr Sgt Ralph Willingham, said road rules are in place for a reason.
"People may think that driving while unlicensed or in an unregistered vehicle is not causing a collision or contributing to the road toll, but we have found that if drivers show a disregard for these type of offences, they will also show little respect for speed limits and other safe driving practices,” he said.
More blitzes will take place in the coming weeks, Snr Sgt Willingham said.
