Operation Verat, a three-day high visibility road policing operation, started today focusing on two major highways across four western police regions.

Police will have a highly visible presence on two of the region's major routes, the Hamilton Highway and Glenelg Highway.

That includes feeder roads between Inverleigh and Lismore on the Hamilton Highway and Linton and Glenthompson on the Glenelg Highway.

Police chiefs say poor driver behaviour will be a focus given these areas have been over represented with road trauma in Victoria's south-west.

There have been 10 deaths on south-west roads this year compared to eight for all of 2018.

Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said police had responded to a double fatality on the Glenelg Highway at Carranballac and a triple fatality at Cressey in the past few weeks.

"We are seeing bad driver behaviours all too frequently on the major highways so we'll have police out around the clock trying to deter poor driver behaviour," he said.

"It's an opportunity to change driver behaviour to reduce speed-related collisions and will also provide road users and the local community with some public reassurance."

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Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said it was crucial drivers took responsibility otherwise the road toll would only increase.

"With 40 per cent of our lives lost this year being made up of country road users and motorcyclists in these four western regions we cannot stress enough the importance in slowing down, driving to the conditions and taking that 15-minute break," he said.

"Not arriving at your destination isn't worth the five minutes in time you gain from speeding or not driving to the conditions.

"It is proven that police visibility and enforcement acts as a deterrent but we also need the community to take some ownership and reflect on their driving habits.

"We cannot do this without the support of the community. Police cannot be everywhere, but hopefully we are where you least expect us."

Operation Verat will focus on country road users, speed, impaired drivers, seatbelts, on and off road motorcycles, fatigue due to long distance travel and driver distraction through mobile technology and navigation devices.

Operation Verat will run from Friday until midnight Sunday.

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