The Warrnambool blitz coincides with a two-week operation launched yesterday 40 years after the introduction of seatbelts.

The operation aims to clamp down on motorists and passengers who still haven't got the message and fail to belt-up.

Operation Pin Ball coincides with the 40th anniversary of vehicle restraint legislation, which made it compulsory for all car occupants to wear a properly secured seatbelt.

From yesterday until Saturday, August 14, officers from the State Highway Patrols will target high-risk road trauma areas around Melbourne, Geelong, Yarra Ranges and Dandenong.

Motorists, passengers and unrestrained children will be a key focus of the operation as will be the transport and heavy vehicle industry.

Drivers in country Victoria will not be let off the hook, with operations to be held in a Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour and the Latrobe Valley.

Police will be using a range of operational tactics to detect seat belt offences, using both highly visible uniform officers and undercover police.

Working in pairs, plain-clothed officers will observe motorists and passengers failing to wear seatbelts and radio that information to a nearby police officer who will then intercept the vehicle.

Motorists caught driving without a seatbelt will receive a $234 fine and lose three demerit points.

Passengers will also face a $239 fine if found travelling without a seatbelt.

Deputy Commissioner for Road Policing, Ken Lay said it was disappointing that despite clear evidence that seatbelts saved lives, some people were still failing to take the simple step of buckling up.

However, a well-known Warrnambool resident, who wished to remain anonymous yesterday, called in at The Standard and claimed the visiting police officers' behaviour set an interesting double standard.

"There were a number of witnesses in Liebig Street who watched a police vehicle cross double lines in the middle of Liebig Street near the pedestrian cross between Lava and Koroit streets at 2.05pm," he said.

"We're talking about random intercepts and pulling people over for the most minor of offences. This is purely a revenue raising exercise," he said