As reported in last week’s paper, Mansfield SES welcomed a quieter-than-expected school holiday period, with no land search and rescue callouts recorded in recent weeks. Police, however, have had far less reason to celebrate on roads leading to Mt Buller and Victoria’s other alpine resorts, detecting 213 offences in only three days. The Operation Eastern Snow crackdown placed highly visible police patrols on roads leading to Mt Buller, and others on Falls Creek and Mt Hotham, targeting speeding, dangerous driving and unsafe vehicles. Of the offences detected, 142 involved speeding motorists. Police also detected 27 unregistered vehicles, issued 21 defect notices to unsafe vehicles and recorded 13 heavy vehicle offences. Nine seatbelt offences and nine disqualified, suspended or unlicensed drivers were detected. Three drivers returned positive drug tests from 48 roadside tests, while one drink-driving offence was detected from 1346 preliminary breath tests. Eastern Region Road Policing Inspector Jarrad Dowswell said the level of non-compliance among motorists travelling to and from the alpine areas was extremely disappointing. “These roads can be particularly treacherous when impacted by ice and snow, yet we’ve caught a significant number of motorists speeding and engaging in dangerous driving behaviours,” he said. Buses and heavy vehicles were also a major focus of the operation, with police working alongside the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to intercept vehicles at designated checkpoints and conduct safety compliance inspections. Inspector Dowswell said drivers heading through Mansfield and towards Mt Buller needed to plan their journeys, ensure their vehicles were in good working order and allow additional travel time. “We’re urging all visitors to the snow to prioritise planning their journey,” he said. “This includes ensuring your vehicle is in good working condition and is equipped with snow chains, and that you’re sticking to the speed limit and taking regular breaks when driving to manage fatigue.” Police said snow chains were essential when navigating steep and icy mountain roads and could be the difference between remaining safely on the road and sliding off it. “We’ll be focused on targeting those behaviours that put all road users at risk, including speeding, dangerous overtaking and impaired driving,” he said. Operation Eastern Snow will continue around Mt Buller throughout the remainder of the snow season.
