Bendigo Highway Patrol's Sergeant Mick McCrann said 1900 breath tests and 71 drug tests were carried out over the Easter long weekend as part of Operation Compass.

Sergeant McCrann said 129 penalty notices were handed out at Easter for a variety of offences relating to speed, seatbelts, and mobile phones, all of which were the main causes of car crashes.

Operation Compass launched at 12.01am on April 14 and saw police converge on roads and highways across the region in a major effort to reduce road trauma.

Across the state, almost 8000 offences were recorded in the first five days of Victoria Police's Operation Compass road safety effort.

MORE NEWS: Bendigo council tram museum, workshop plans go out to tender

The offences included speeding, unregistered vehicles, disqualified/suspended and unlicensed drivers, disobey signs/signals, drink driving offences from 101,917 preliminary breath tests, drug driving offences from 6615 roadside drug tests, vehicle impoundments and 130 seatbelt offences.

Bendigo Highway Patrol's Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks previously said officers on duty would be targeting the "fatal five" over the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.

"We'll be looking at impaired driving, fatigue, speed, distraction and seatbelt offences primarily, but it doesn't mean any other offences will be ignored," he said.

Sadly, 10 lives were lost already on Victorian roads this month, five of which occurred over the first weekend of the Victorian school holidays.

OTHER STORIES:

Over the Easter long weekend, two lives were lost in fatal collisions in Elwood on Thursday, April 14 and Greenwald in the state's far south west on Monday, April 18, bringing this year's total to 78.

Sergeant McCrann said there no lives were lost in Bendigo on the Easter long weekend, which is historically a high-risk period on the state's roads.

He said he hoped people had awareness of an increased police presence over the long weekends, and acted responsibly and managed themselves better - wearing seatbelts and staying off their mobile phones.

"Do the basics well and put yourself in a safer position," Sergeant McCrann said.

By doing so, he said, we can protect ourselves, our friends and family, and our community.

The road safety effort will continue until 11.59pm on Anzac Day, April 25.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: