Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks has lost count of the traffic accidents he has attended.
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"Throughout my career I've attended many, many dozens of serious and fatal collisions, unfortunately," he said.
The Bendigo Highway Patrol boss wants people to know that while Victoria-wide Operation Nexus launched on Thursday morning (March 28), being picked up in it is the least of their worries if they are driving dangerously.
"If you're going to take a risk on a road, expect that you'll get a consequence out of it, and hopefully for you the consequence is just us pulling you up and you don't end up in hospital or worse," he said.
"If you're going to drink or you're going to take drugs, stay home, because we will get you.
"It's only a matter of time - if it's not this weekend, it will be the middle of next week, or the one after.
"And if you're going to speed, understand ... the worst consequence is that you stand up in front of the coroner and tell them why you killed someone."
Last Easter a man died on Bendigo's roads when the car he was driving hit a tree at White Hills.
His death was one of two on the state's roads over the long weekend.
Around the Bendigo police service area last year Operation Nexus netted six drink-drivers and six drug-drivers and resulted in 56 speeding fines, among other offences.
Operation targets drugs, alcohol and phone use, fatigue, speed and seatbelt compliance
This year's operation started at one minute past midnight on Thursday morning and will run through until 11.59pm on Monday, April 1.
In addition to drug and alcohol use, it will target mobile phone use, speed, fatigue, seatbelts and driver distraction.
"From today, we're starting to ramp it up," Senior Sergeant Brooks said.
"Booze buses will be around the area, our speed camera fleet has been allocated areas, and mobile speed cameras will also be out on the roads alongside the enforcement from the mobile police units."
Bendigo Sergeant Mick McCrann echoed the message.
"We're about to go into a very high period of traffic in Bendigo. We get a lot of visitors," he said.
"So I'd ask people just to be vigilant at intersections, double check, make sure you've got the right of way, stay off your phone - all that sort of stuff."
Around Victoria 67 lives have been so far lost on the roads this year, which compares to 76 people lost last year.
Deaths on rural roads represent more than half of this year's fatalities.
