Truckies will be targeted by Victoria Police in a major road policing operation on Hume Freeway this week.
Operation Hamilton, running in conjunction with Operation Furious, a NSW police operation, will see regional and State Highway Patrol members highly visible and enforcing on the Hume Freeway between Melbourne and Wodonga.
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.
There will also be a focus on heavy vehicles, with truck drivers to be subjected to compliance checks.
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 from the previous year.
Of these, around 20 per cent occurred on or close to the Hume Freeway.
Road commissioner Glenn Weir says the Hume Freeway is prone to a high amount of road trauma, being one of the state’s major roads, and ensures the police are doing everything they can to prevent dangers.
“We need to keep all road users accountable, so we won’t hesitate to penalise you if you’re caught breaking the road rules,” he says.
“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,” he says.
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.
Weir warns motorists to take extra care when travelling this route, as it carries high volumes of traffic.
“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,” he says.
Operation Hamilton commenced 12:01am on Monday June 17 and will conclude on Thursday June 20 at 11:59pm.