Road safety enforcement will ramp up during April as police warn motorists to take extra care when travelling throughout Victoria this month.
The warning comes as the Victorian school holidays kick off later today, running for two weeks and concluding with the Easter long weekend.
Police are preparing for an influx of motorists hitting the state's highways and major arterials, heading to holiday hotspots across the state.
Despite lower-than-average road trauma experienced during March, which is historically one of the state's worst periods for road trauma, police are urging motorists not to be complacent as April gets underway.
In April 2024, there were 17 lives lost on Victorian roads, with three quarters of these occurring on regional roads.
The Goulburn Valley police service area experienced a significant amount of the month's road trauma, with six fatalities occurring in Seymour, Mansfield, Boweya, Pine Lodge, Enochs Point and Arcadia.
Of the 17 lives lost during April last year, 11 occurred within 15 kilometres of the deceased's address.
Drivers made up the majority of fatalities with nine lives lost recorded, with a further four motorcyclists, three passengers and one pedestrian killed in fatal collisions in April.
As the school holidays get underway, motorists are being urged to remain alert and extra vigilant around built-up areas, particularly where children, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users might be present.
Those travelling with passengers should ensure everyone in the vehicle is wearing a properly fastened seatbelt or child restraint, avoid distractions, and take regular breaks on long trips to manage fatigue.
In addition to the school holidays commencing this weekend, police are also reminding all road users to consider the end of daylight savings in Victoria, which comes into effect on Sunday.
The changeover from daylight savings means it will start to remain darker for longer periods, with drivers being urged to adjust their driving accordingly, including switching on headlights to help see and be seen.
Police will also be prioritising road safety this month, with several localised operations to be conducted in high-risk areas, culminating in a major statewide road policing blitz over the Easter and ANZAC Day period.
Operation Compass will see police highly visible and enforcing across the state's roads, commencing on 17 April 2025 and running for an extended 10-day period.
There have been 74 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2025, compared with 75 at the same time last year, with more than half of this year's fatal collisions occurring on regional roads.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads during April, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
Quotes attributable to Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir:
"While we did experience slightly lower-than-average road trauma during March, twenty fatalities for the month is still unacceptable as far as we're concerned - that's twenty families who will spend the upcoming Easter period without their loved ones.
"The only acceptable number of deaths on our roads is zero, which is why we cannot afford to be complacent as we head into April.
"There is an increased road trauma risk this month, with school holidays, Easter and ANZAC Day long weekends meaning there will be lots of people moving and travelling across the state, and the end of daylight savings impacting the conditions.
"Last year's road trauma insights are just a stark reminder that it doesn't matter whether you are driving close to home on familiar local roads, or travelling further away, the risk of road trauma is always present.
"Whether you're a driver, passenger or pedestrian, road safety is everyone's responsibility and it's up to all of us to play our part in making the roads safer.
"Police will have a major focus on road safety this month - motorists can expect to see us highly visible and enforcing across the state's roads, particularly over the upcoming Easter and ANZAC Day period."
