Operation Aware targets dangerous behaviour that contributes to road trauma involving pedestrians, drawing on local and state highway patrols, solo units, and foot and bike patrols across Victoria.
Police said a total of 1082 offences had been detected to date (Friday, August 14) during the operation, with close to half of these issued to motorists for speeding offences.
Since January, there have been 27 pedestrian deaths on Victorian roads – down from 35 at the same time in 2025.
Victoria Police road policing assistant commissioner Mick Hermans said this August was “a high-risk month for collisions involving pedestrians”.
“While pedestrian trauma is currently trending down this year, we cannot afford to be complacent,” he said.
Police have concentrated their efforts on areas with 40 to 60km/h speed limits, where pedestrian trauma most commonly occurs.
Of the 479 speeding offences detected, police said 82 per cent were for motorists caught travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.
Police said they also detected 16 impaired drivers during the operation, including 12 drug driving and four drink driving offences from 957 preliminary breath tests and 426 roadside drug tests.
Total offences detected from Operation Aware, to date
- 479 speeding offences
- 77 vehicle defect notices
- 70 offences for using a device while driving
- 46 disqualified/unlicensed drivers
- 46 disobey traffic signs/signals offences
- 32 motorcyclist offences
- 18 seatbelt offences
- 13 vehicle impoundments
- 12 drug driving offences
- 11 cyclist offences
- Six pedestrian offences
- Four drink driving offences
“During Operation Aware, we’ve witnessed some concerning behaviour, primarily by motorists engaging in dangerous driving activity that puts pedestrians at significant risk,” Mr Hermans said.
“That’s things like speeding in built up areas, driving while distracted by mobile devices, drink and drug driving, and failing to stop and give way.”
Operation Aware is set to continue throughout August, with police to continue monitoring behaviour such as motorists failing to give way, speeding, distraction and impaired driving.
Police will also continue to proactively engage with pedestrians about their own safety, including using designated footpaths and crossings, and remaining alert when intersecting with roads and vehicles.
“We will continue to prioritise pedestrian safety and target those behaviours that put our most vulnerable road users at risk,” Mr Hermans said.
“We also ask all road users to consider what actions they can take to prioritise their safety, particularly with inclement weather conditions and reduced visibility to continue throughout this month.”
For more information and tips on staying safe on Victorian roads, visit police.vic.gov.au/road-safety
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