There will be an increased police presence on roads right across the country for the Australia Day long weekend.
In Victoria, police have today begun a statewide blitz called Operation Amity, targeting speeding drivers, with police to be highly visible and enforcing on major roads and highways across the state.
Speeding drivers will be a major focus for police during the operation, with excessive or inappropriate speed being the highest contributing factor in fatal collisions in 2025, contributing to at least 30 per cent of fatalities.
“Not only is speeding the most common factor in fatal and serious injury collisions, but it continues to be the penalty we issue the most infringements for – and it’s completely avoidable,” said Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir.
“We won’t hesitate to penalise you if you’re caught breaking the road rules this weekend, but being caught by police is a far better outcome than being killed or seriously injured on the roads.
“Ultimately, motorists can avoid these consequences by making good choices behind the wheel and prioritising safety.”
Police detected 6820 speeding offences during recent a 15-day road policing operation over the Christmas and New Year period, with three-quarters of those caught travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.
There will also be zero tolerance for drink and drug driving, with police saying motorists should expect to be tested anywhere, anytime at alcohol and drug testing sites operating across the state over the weekend.
During the recent Operation Roadwise, police conducted 328,164 preliminary breath tests and 9,035 roadside drug tests, with 659 drink drivers and 434 drug drivers detected over 15 days.
January was the worst month on Victorian roads in 2025, recording 36 fatalities in 31 days – the highest for the month in over 10 years.
While there has been less trauma so far in 2026, with 12 lives lost on Victorian roads, police say this should not be cause for complacency.
Operation Amity will run statewide from 12:01am Friday 23 January to 11:59pm Monday 26 January.
“Operation Amity coincides with a particularly busy period on our roads – for many of us, this marks the last weekend of the January holiday period before returning to school and work next week,” Weir added.
“We’ll be focusing on the major roads and highways between Melbourne and the regional parts of the state where we know lots of people will be commuting.
“With the expected hot weather, there will be a particular enforcement focus on roads to and from coastal areas and waterways, and we just encourage people to be safe and manage fatigue after spending time outside in the heat.”
Meanwhile in South Australia, South Australia Police will conduct Operation Safe Long Weekend statewide over the Australia Day long weekend, with a strong presence targeting road safety offences and preventing serious and fatal crashes.
Traffic Services Branch Officer in Charge Superintendent Shane Johnson said January long weekends remain a high-risk period on South Australian roads.
“During the past five January long weekends, two lives have been lost, and 21 people have suffered serious injuries on South Australian roads,” Johnson said.
“Seventy-one per cent of serious‑injury and fatal collisions occurred on rural roads, highlighting the risks associated with long-distance travel, higher speeds and driver fatigue.”
Operation Safe Long Weekend will run from Friday to Monday, with police deployed across metropolitan and regional areas.
“Our enforcement focus throughout the operation will be on the Fatal Five – drink and drug driving, speeding, distracted driving including mobile phone use, failure to wear seatbelts and other dangerous road use,” Johnson added.
“Drivers should share the road with cyclists safely by checking blind spots frequently, signal clearly and early, respect bike lanes and maintain a safe distance from cyclists.
“Road safety offenders’ risk heavy penalties, but more importantly, they risk the loss of life or serious injury – a lasting tragedy for the families and communities left behind. It’s imperative we do our part to keep roads safe for ourselves and others.”
In Queensland, Sunshine Coast Police have also warned of an increased presence on roads. Sunshine Coast District Officer Superintendent Craig Hawkins said the community can expect to see police out in force this long weekend.
“We have bolstered our high-visibility policing presence over the weekend with a focus on road safety and alcohol fuelled violence,” Hawkins said.
A team from Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol, accompanied by the Road Policing Task Force, will deploy to Noosa North Shore for the weekend with patrols set to focus on illegally modified vehicles, anti-social behaviour (including hooning), drink driving, speeding and seatbelts.
Some states and territories will also enforce double demerit points across the Australia Day weekend, including NSW, ACT and WA.