Victoria Police will conduct a major road policing operation on the Hume Freeway in an effort to reduce road trauma.
Operation Hamilton will see regional and State Highway Patrol members highly visible and enforcing on the Hume Freeway between Melbourne and Wodonga.
The operation will run in conjunction with Operation Furious, a New South Wales Police operation on the Hume Freeway over the border between Albury and Sydney.
The joint cross-border operations will see police focusing on behaviours that contribute to road trauma, including speed, distraction, seatbelt non-compliance, drink and drug driving.
It comes as the Wangaratta and Wodonga region experienced a significant increase in road trauma in 2023, with 25 fatal collisions, 10 higher than the previous year, and 187 serious injury collisions, a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.
Of these, around 20 per cent occurred on or close to the Hume Freeway.
Last time Operation Hamilton was conducted on the Hume Freeway over a four-day period, highway patrol intercepted 200 vehicles and detected 35 speeding offences, seven unregistered vehicles, three unlicenced drivers, impounded two vehicles and issued seven defect notices.
There were also 388 preliminary breath tests and 49 roadside drug tests conducted.
Police are warning motorists to take extra care when travelling on the Hume Freeway, which is a major route in Victoria carrying high volumes of traffic.
The operation will see police enforcing speed limits and intercepting vehicles for random alcohol and drug testing.
There will also be a focus on heavy vehicles, with truck drivers to be subjected to compliance checks.
Operation Hamilton commenced 12:01am on Monday 17 June until 11:59pm on Thursday 20 June 2024.
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, Glenn Weir:
“We’re teaming up with New South Wales police to conduct an extensive road policing operation that will cover over 600 kilometres of the Hume Freeway.
“Motorists travelling on this major route between Melbourne and Sydney should expect to see police highly visible and enforcing on both sides of the border.
“As one of the state’s major roads, the Hume Freeway experiences a significant amount of road trauma and we’re doing everything we can to prevent this.
“We’re asking all motorists to take extra care when travelling on the Hume – stick to the speed limits, be mindful of sharing the road with other road users and manage fatigue by taking regular breaks on longer trips.
“We need to keep all road users accountable, so we won’t hesitate to penalise you if you’re caught breaking the road rules.”
