More than 120 offences were recorded within the Wangaratta area over a five-day police road blitz across the Melbourne Cup Day weekend.

Operation Furlong saw the force highly visible on major North East arterial and rural roads as police looked to cut down on speeding and impaired driving.

Around 63 per cent of 125 total offences in the area were related to speeding while 12 drink or drug drivers were detected, with eight of those drink drivers.

Police also caught 14 unregistered vehicles using automatic number plate recognition technology to detect disqualified, suspended and unlicenced drivers illegally using the roads.

There were also three cyclist offences, three mobile phone offences and three vehicle impoundments.

More than 6600 offences were detected statewide, with a concerning trend of impaired driving.

One in every 465 drivers who were breath tested were caught over the legal alcohol limit while one in every 22 drivers tested for drugs had a positive reading.

The majority of offences detected were for speeding, with 79 per cent of drivers caught speeding between 10km/h and 25/km over the speed limit.

Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said time and time again, police continued to detect far too many people disregarding the road rules and taking unnecessary risks on our roads.

“The number of people detected for impaired driving over the last five days is particularly concerning,” he said.

“Don’t try and guess if you’re right to drive or under the limit – just don’t do it.

“So much of this year’s road trauma could have been avoided if motorists took more care and attention on the roads and obeyed the rules – they exist to keep all road users safe.”

Police are urging motorists to remain vigilant behind the wheel throughout November, with the number of lives lost reaching 246, 12 higher than the same time last year.

November recorded the highest number of lives lost in 2024, with 35 fatalities in 30 days.

“Police will continue to conduct local road policing enforcement in high-risk areas, particularly on major roads to regional areas and around holiday hotspots,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.