A young toddler and their parents escaped injury after their vehicle crashed into a fallen tree and rolled twice on the Hume Freeway near Lilliput on Friday night.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said around 9:30pm the vehicle crashed into a tree which had just fallen across the road in the northbound lanes between Springhurst and Chiltern.

“The driver unable to avoid the tree (due to its size) has collided with the tree, causing the vehicle to roll two and a half times before coming to rest on its roof in the right-hand lane,” they said.

“The two adult occupants managed to free themselves from the vehicle before releasing their baby from their car seat.”

Wangaratta and Wodonga Highway Patrol officers attended the scene along with Ambulance Victoria and VICSES.

The police spokesperson said due to the child’s car seat being secured correctly and all occupants properly secured in seatbelts, they avoided injury and were sent to Northeast Health Wangaratta for observation only.

“This is a timely reminder of how important it is infants and newborns are correctly restrained at all times in a motor vehicle,” they said.

“Seatbelts save lives.”

The incident came as police started a five-day blitz on Victorian roads for the Melbourne Cup Day weekend.

A Wangaratta police spokesperson said as of Sunday a large majority of motorists were well-behaved and no outstanding incidents were recorded.

The blitz ends late Tuesday night.