- Published:
- Thursday 23 April 2026 at 5:00 am
Victoria Police is urging motorists to take extra care on the roads this weekend following a shocking spike in collisions throughout April.
A three-day statewide road policing blitz will come into effect on Friday to coincide with Anzac Day in Victoria.
Despite it not being a traditional long weekend, Anzac Day is traditionally associated with travel to attend events and there is an increased risk of impaired driving on the public holiday.
Operation Tribute will see police highly visible and enforcing across the state’s roads in an effort to curb road trauma.
It comes as 18 lives lost have occurred in 22 days during April on Victorian roads.
Of those, eight have occurred on weekends, including three fatalities last Saturday (18 April) and a further four the previous Sunday (12 April).
Three of the fatalities that occurred on weekends in April were pedestrians, three were motorcyclists, two were drivers and one was a passenger, with three quarters occurring on roads in metropolitan Melbourne.
The spike in fatalities comes despite a major road policing effort this month, with police already conducting two significant enforcement periods over Easter, and to coincide with travel to and from AFL Gather Round.
Operation Nexus over Easter (2 – 6 April) saw police issue over 7,500 traffic infringements over five days, while Operation Constellate during AFL Gather Round (9 – 13 April) resulted in in a further 764 offences.
Those travelling this weekend are being urged to stick to the speed limit, with over 4,000 fines issued during Easter and AFL Gather Round this month to motorists for exceeding the speed limit.
Motorists are also being warned to expect to be tested anywhere, anytime for alcohol and drugs, with 329 drink drivers and 204 drug drivers caught over both operations this month.
Police conducted a combined 150,000 preliminary breath tests and 3,922 roadside drug tests during Operation Nexus and Operation Constellate.
Motorists are being urged to remain alert when behind the wheel this weekend, with complacency often leading to driving errors such as excessive or inappropriate speed, unsafe overtaking, failing to stop or give way, fatigue and distraction – all which have been cited as major contributing factors in this year’s fatalities.
Operation Tribute commences at 0001 hours on Friday 24 April and concludes at 2359 hours on Sunday 26 April 2026.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads this weekend, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
Quotes attributable to Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner, Justin Goldsmith:
“Despite a significant uplift in road policing enforcement this month, we’ve still experienced a devastating amount of trauma on our roads during April.
“This should serve as a stark reminder that road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and more than ever we need people to police their own behaviour and respect the road rules, rather than waiting to be intercepted and fined by police.
“The reality is, while we make every effort to be highly visible and enforce the road rules, we cannot be everywhere at all times, and while we aim to influence and deter bad driver behaviour, often it is people making a split-second decision or a basic driving error that can lead to a catastrophic collision.
“For the third weekend this month, motorists should expect to see a significant police presence across the state’s roads during Operation Tribute and can be assured we’ll be doing all we can to prevent any further road trauma.
“Anzac Day is a high-risk period on our roads, so we ask people to take care and look out for one another - particularly around the dawn services and commemorative events taking place.”
Media Unit
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