Victoria Police have reported a concerning number of drink and drug driving offences during the recent Operation Regal, conducted over the King’s Birthday long weekend.
The four-day statewide road safety blitz, which ran from Friday 6 June to Monday 9 June 2025, resulted in 6,005 traffic offences being detected.
Among the most alarming findings was the detection of 205 drink driving offences from 68,673 preliminary breath tests—a strike rate of one in every 335 drivers. Additionally, 168 drug driving offences were identified from 2,740 roadside drug tests, equating to one in every 16 drivers tested.
Speeding remained the most prevalent offence, accounting for over 40 per cent of all infringements. Police recorded 2,638 speeding offences, with the majority involving drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 to 25 km/h.
Other significant offences included:
- 499 instances of disobeying traffic signs or signals
- 435 cases involving disqualified, suspended, or unlicensed drivers
- 174 mobile phone offences
- 546 unregistered vehicles
- 90 seatbelt violations
- 107 vehicle impoundments
Tragically, the operation period saw one fatal collision in Dhurringile on Sunday 8 June. Two additional fatalities occurred in Orbost in the early hours of Tuesday 10 June, bringing the total number of lives lost on Victorian roads in 2025 to 139—an increase from 125 at the same time last year.
Acting Assistant Commissioner David Byrt expressed disappointment over the high number of offences, particularly given the challenging weather conditions during the operation.
“It was very disappointing that we detected so many motorists disregarding the road rules over the weekend, especially during some treacherous weather conditions.”
He emphasised the heightened risks associated with impaired or distracted driving in poor weather:
“It is even more difficult to avoid a collision in wet weather or when visibility is poor if you’re speeding, distracted, or driving while impaired, and yet we caught so many people blatantly taking those risks.”
Byrt also described the drink and drug driving numbers as “unacceptable”, noting:
“These drivers are not only a serious risk to themselves, but to all other road users.”
Victoria Police will maintain a strong enforcement presence in coming weeks, with further operations planned to focus on the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Motorists are urged to take extra care as winter driving conditions worsen across the state.
