VICTORIA. — A king-size enforcement effort by police over the King’s Birthday long weekend has resulted in a staggering number of traffic offences being detected.
Operation Regal saw police highly visible and targeting high-risk driving behaviour across the state’s roads, in an effort to reduce road trauma.
Police detected a total of 7,221 traffic offences over the four-day enforcement period – a 20 per cent increase on the same time last year.
There were 6,005 offences detected during Operation Regal in 2025.
Police say its commitment to road policing across the entire workforce was key to the operation’s success – with state, local and regional highway patrols joined by specialist road policing units, general duties police and the Public Order Response Team to proactively patrol the state’s roads.
Motorists were warned before the weekend to expect widespread alcohol and drug testing – with police delivering 115,993 preliminary breath tests and 2,778 roadside drug tests over the four days.
Police caught 249 drink drivers – a 21 per cent increase on the same enforcement period last year, and a strike rate of one in every 465 tested caught over the limit.
Police also detected a further 144 drug-driving offences.
Police issued 3,311 speeding infringements – a 25 per cent increase on the same time last year – with three-quarters of all speeding offences issued to those caught travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.
There was also a noticeable increase in mobile phone and device offences, with 292 infringements issued, up from 151 detected during Operation Regal last year.
The total 7,221 traffic offences detected during Operation Regal included:
-
- 3,311 speeding offences;
- 491 disobey signs/signals;
- 390 disqualified/suspended/unlicenced drivers;
- 292 mobile phone offences;
- 249 drink-driving offences from 115,993 preliminary breath tests;
- 144 drug driving offences from 2,778 roadside drug tests;
- 105 vehicle impounds;
- 87 seatbelt offences and
- 511 unregistered vehicles.
There were two fatal collisions over the weekend, including a 30-year-old female passenger in a collision at Stanhope and a 2-year-old male motorcyclist in a collision at Wangaratta South – both on Saturday 6 June.
A 17-year-old male motorcyclist was also killed in an off-road collision at Jeparit on Sunday afternoon.
There have now been 111 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2026 – down from 135 at the same time last year.
With wet weather and poor visibility increasing as winter sets in across Victoria, police are urging motorists to take extra care on the roads and to continue to be on the lookout for vulnerable road users – particularly pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Police will remain highly visible on the roads across the state, with targeted operations to take place over the coming weeks focusing on vulnerable road user safety.
