Overview

• The four‑day operation runs from 12:01am Thursday, September 25, to 11:59pm Sunday, September 28, with officers flooding regional routes for alcohol and drug testing and highly visible patrols.
• A targeted crackdown near Ballarat on September 23 led to six arrests, including a 39‑year‑old allegedly clocked at 127 km/h who returned an evidentiary breath test of 0.077, plus 19 fines, three defect notices and 580 preliminary breath tests.
• Warrnambool police reported 1,975 preliminary breath tests and 24 preliminary drug tests over the September 19 weekend, detecting three drink drivers and no drug drivers.
• Police cite a sharp rise in regional trauma, with the south‑west recording 16 lives lost so far in 2025, more than double the same time last year.
• Authorities warn of predictable risk patterns over the grand final period, noting more than 700 drink‑ or drug‑driving detections across the past three years and peak detections late on grand final night, while also urging extra care for motorcyclists and pedestrians.