Footy fans are being urged to plan ahead and create a game plan for the upcoming AFL grand final long weekend.
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Police will saturate the region’s roads during Operation Scoreboard – a four-day road blitz that will begin at midnight on Thursday.
Corangamite police Senior Sergeant Bill Caldow said all available members from the general duties police unit, highway patrol, solo (motorbike) unit and the heavy vehicle unit would be deployed throughout the region.
“The major focus of the operation will be driving offences such as drug and alcohol impairment, speed, fatigue, distraction offences and seat belt compliance,” he said.
“The absolute aim of the operation is to reduce incidents of road trauma by reinforcing positive driving behaviours through a highly visible presence and focusing on the detection of those offences.”
In the past five years, nine people have lost their lives on state roads during the grand final weekend, with more than 200 people seriously injured.
Victoria Police road policing command Acting Assistant Commissioner Neville Taylor urged all drivers to consider their game plan this weekend.
“Our sincere hope this year is that we won’t see people in serious crashes and that we won't see fatalities or injuries on our roads,” he said.
“Plan ahead, ride share, taxi or use public transport and if you are going to drink, just don’t drive.”
In 2017, police detected more than 7000 traffic offences and 777 criminal offences during the grand final long weekend operation. That included 261 drink drivers and 162 drug drivers.
Operation Scoreboard will run until midnight on Sunday.
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