Ballarat and Moorabool highway patrol officers have expressed concerns over the number of mid-range leadfoots detected during a 24-hour blitz.
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Operation West Connect saw the largest group of speeding drivers not just a smidge over the limit - but a very obvious 10-to-25kmh over.
Police across western Victoria joined forces on Thursday, hitting major arterials stretching from Ballarat to Geelong, Warrnambool,Horsham, Mildura and Bendigo.
![Highway patrol units from across western Victoria co-operated on major arterials for Operation West Connect this week. Picture by The Courier. Highway patrol units from across western Victoria co-operated on major arterials for Operation West Connect this week. Picture by The Courier.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177877894/cbc12461-324e-4eb7-98ed-677b2f38f841.JPG/r0_0_1898_1177_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
In the Ballarat and Moorabool police service areas, six drivers were pulled over for travelling 10-25kmh over the limit.
Down the scale, no one was detected in the 1-10kmh category in the two local PSAs - which also include the Pyrenees, Hepburn and Golden Plains shires.
One local driver was caught for allegedly driving in a careless or dangerous manner.
It was the only offence of that kind recorded across western Victoria.
"People just don't get it," Acting Senior Sergeant Craig Kelso said.
"The number of speeding motorists is quite alarming - especially the speeds they were driving at.
"It was 25kmh in some zones, which means a loss of licence."
Police across the two PSAs also detected one heavy vehicle (truck) speeding offence.
On top of that, highway patrol officers impounded one car and issued one defect notice.
In a growing trend, more drug-drivers were recorded than drink-drivers.
Thursday's figures showed no drivers in Ballarat or Moorabool were over the blood alcohol limit, but two were found with drugs in their system.
Police detected two drivers not wearing seatbelts, while one driver was caught behind the wheel with a suspended licence - and one vehicle was unregistered.
Acting Senior Sergeant Kelso said all up, of the 481 drivers intercepted across western Victoria, 137 had allegedly committed offences.
"A total of 94 penalty notices were issued for various offences - as well as a significant amount of offences that will see motorists (due) in courts at a later dates," he said.
But when it came to excess speed across the western half of the state on Thursday, Geelong had the most frightening figures.
Four drivers were caught at 1-10kmh above the speed limit, 13 at 10-25kmh - and another 13 at more than 25kmh.
The division which includes the Bendigo and Goldfields police services areas (taking in Maryborough) also clocked some serious speeders: nine at 1-10kmh, four at 10-25kmh and five even faster than that.
The division which takes in Ararat and Horsham saw four drivers at 1-10kmh, 17 at 10-25kmh and one faster than 25kmh.
Slightly fewer were detected in the south west (including the Warrnambool and Southern Grampians PSAs): two drivers at 1-10kmh, six at 10-25kmh and one detected going even faster.
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