Victoria Police have launched a road blitz that will last for a period of six weeks in an effort to reduce road trauma.

Called Operation Limit, Victoria Police will target a total of 16 areas that are considered to be high risk in the rural parts of Melbourne that have seen an increase in accidents during a five year period.

The Assistant Police Commissioner Robert Hill said that historical data shows that the first three months of a year carry the highest risk for road trauma within the state of Victoria.

He said that even though Victoria has just had the fifth record low road toll in a row and also 11 below the road toll at the same time last year, we are aware that this can easily change.

He said that in January 2012 there was a 67 per cent increase in the number of fatalities on the road when compared to 2011 where 30 persons were killed on Victoria’s roads.

Assistant Police Commissioner Robert Hill said that Victoria Police do not want a repeat with this years road toll and raising awareness in the community and educating about the risks is a way of taking preventative action.

Victoria Police will have booze and drug buses, satellite patrols, on and off road patrols, motorcycle patrols and speed checks in the following areas:

• Mornington Peninsula
• Melbourne
• Dandenong
• Geelong
• Casey
• Yarra

They will be targeting speeding, drink and driving, fatigue, seatbelts and drivers that are distracted.

The Assistant Commissioner said that people could be distracted when they return home from holidays thinking about work and school and these distractions can often lead to accidents on the roads.

He advised that people planning to use the recently opened Peninsula Link Freeway allow additional travel time to adjust to the new conditions.