VICTORIA. — Police warn motorists to reduce their horsepower during Operation Furlong this Melbourne Cup long weekend, or face the consequences, with nearly one in three road fatalities this year caused by speeding.
During a six-day statewide road policing operation, motorists can expect to see police highly visible and enforcing across the state to reduce road trauma.
Last year’s operation saw nearly 3000 motorists pulled over for going too fast, with 79 per cent of drivers caught speeding between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.
Speeding has accounted for 29 per cent of fatalities so far in 2026*.
By reducing speed to under the posted limit, the thousands of Victorians enjoying the good weather and long weekend can get home safely.
Police across the state will be on the lookout for a range of offences including impaired driving, fatigue, failure to wear seatbelts and illegal mobile phone use.
They will also reinforce positive driving behaviours.
They will focus heavily on major roads heading to regional Victoria, advising drivers not to overtake or travel alongside turning trucks or tractors as the harvest season continues in the country.
Motorists should expect to be tested anywhere, any time for alcohol and drugs, with significant penalties in place for those caught driving while impaired.
Last month, police detected more than 6500 traffic offences during the four-day Operation Scoreboard enforcement period over the AFL Grand Final long weekend, including 2918 speeding offences, 246 drink driving offences, 248 mobile phone offences and 127 drug driving offences.
Operation Furlong commences at 12:01am on Friday, October 30 and concludes at 11:59pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
*’Speeding’ refers to both excessive and inappropriate in this instance. Data correct as of October 11, 2026 [The data is provided based on information available at the time of extraction and is subject to accuracy and completeness limitations.]
