Victoria Police has issued a major warning to drivers for the King’s Birthday long weekend, with extreme wet weather, snow conditions, and high holiday traffic increasing the risk of crashes. The police will target speeding, distracted driving, and impaired motorists during this high-risk period on the state's roads.
Operation Regal Enforced Over Long Weekend
With Victoria’s snow season beginning this weekend, police will commence Operation Regal, focusing on major routes to alpine regions as well as highways and freeways leading to regional holiday destinations. The operation runs from 12:01am on Friday, June 6, until 11:59pm on Monday, June 8.
Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Mick Hermans urged motorists to take extra care as wet and wintry conditions continue across the state. “It’s been a cold, wet start to winter this week, with challenging conditions like slippery roads and poor visibility increasing the likelihood of a collision,” he said. “We’re expecting these conditions to continue into the weekend, so if you’re out and about over the King’s Birthday, please take extra care on the roads and be sure to drive to the conditions – particularly if there is rain, ice or snow to contend with.”
Severe Weather Warnings in Place
Sky News Weather has issued a severe weather warning for parts of Victoria, with meteorologist Tamsin Green warning of heavy rainfall, snow, and blizzard-like conditions in alpine areas. “There is the potential for locally heavy downpours, particularly around Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, but also across the southwest around Warrnambool,” Green said. Snow has already begun falling across Victorian alpine regions and is expected to continue, with another 5-10cm possible throughout Thursday. A severe weather warning remains in place for damaging winds at alpine peaks, where blizzard conditions are also possible.
Snow-goers are urged to check conditions before travelling and carry wheel chains where required. Motorists travelling to Victoria’s alpine regions face a $407 fine for failing to carry wheel chains and a $1018 penalty for failing to fit them when directed.
Increased Police Presence and Testing
With several major events and festivals taking place across the state, police will also ramp up roadside alcohol and drug testing, warning motorists they can be tested anywhere, anytime. Mr Hermans said drivers should not become complacent despite the state's road toll trending down. “While the number of lives lost on our roads is trending down compared to last year, now is not the time to be complacent,” he said. “Last winter we saw significant spikes in road trauma, particularly involving vulnerable road users like pedestrians and motorcyclists. Police will be highly visible and enforcing across the state’s roads during this high-risk period over the King’s Birthday long weekend.”
During last year’s Operation Regal enforcement period, police issued more than 6,000 infringements. Victoria Police has previously conducted similar statewide road safety operations over major holiday periods, including Operation Arid over the Labour Day long weekend and Operation Nexus over Easter.
