It’s 8.30 on a Thursday morning in Altona North and almost every driver going past the Hobsons Bay highway patrol is flouting the 40km/h school zone speed limit.
They speed past a bright yellow patrol car and an officer wearing a fluorescent vest and pointing a speed gun.
A ute being driven by a professional in his 40s passes a flashing 40km/h sign at 74km/h and doesn’t stop for police.
Senior Constable Adam Jones takes off after him and the driver finally pulls over a kilometre up Millers Road.
“He said he was aware there was a school zone,” Senior Constable Jones says.
“He didn’t believe he was speeding and when I explained to him the circumstances he was like, ‘I didn’t realise you were in a police car’.”
The man will be fined almost $500, spend a month off the road and receive four demerit points.
Senior Constable Jones admits he and his offsider can’t catch everyone.
“We can only really catch the higher-end [offences],” he says. “Most cars come through here at an average 10km/h over the limit, which is crazy.”
Some speeding drivers confront police after getting caught. One vows to see them in court. Another claims not to have changed his car clock since the start of daylight saving – four days earlier. The day before the speed blitz, three elderly drivers lost their licences within 25 minutes.
Older drivers caught speeding could be required to undergo a licence review to determine whether they are fit to drive. In other words, they could lose their licence for good.
Police will be enforcing speed limits at various locations in coming weeks.
They will also target cyclists this month because October is statistically the worst month for road trauma.
