Holiday hotspots and dangerous drivers will be the target of a Victoria Police operation aimed at keeping road users safe this Christmas.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville today joined Victoria Police to announce Operation Roadwise – a 24-day state-wide road campaign – and called on Victorians to stay safe on our roads this festive season after a tragic year.

Since the start of the year, 253 people have lost their lives on our roads – 52 more than the same time last year.

Each year, Victoria Police inscribes the names and ages of each person killed on Victorian roads on a bauble to hang on the Lives Lost Christmas tree to mark every loss.

The baubles are a reminder that it’s not just numbers – it’s people and families that will not be sharing Christmas together.

Operation Roadwise will target dangerous driving, drug driving and irresponsible behaviour on our roads over summer. From today, police will be out in force at popular holiday destinations in metropolitan and regional parts of the state, providing a highly visible and mobile presence to encourage safe driving.

Drivers are reminded not to drink or take drugs if they’re planning to drive, and to use simple strategies that can reduce risks on the road, including driver reviver strategies to avoid fatigue, staying off mobile phones while driving, and being alert on unfamiliar roads.

Operation Roadwise will run from Friday 13 December 2019 to Sunday 5 January 2020 with all available police resources out in force.

During last year’s Operation Roadwise, police detected a total of 33,829 traffic offences, including 12,050 speeding offences, 1883 mobile phone offences, 892 drink drive offences and 920 drug drive offences.

The Andrews Labor Government is investing a record $1.4 billion over five years as part of our Towards Zero road safety strategy, to deliver safer roads and protect Victorian motorists. The Labor Government is also expanding mobile camera enforcement by 75 per cent over the coming years to take dangerous drivers off our roads.

A $226 million investment in road safety upgrades will also get underway next year, providing hundreds of major safety upgrades for the state’s most dangerous roads and intersections.