LOCAL police have been left astounded after drink and drug driving detections more than doubled in the last three days of a 10-day road safety blitz in the Wangaratta Police Area, taking in Wangaratta, Alpine and Moira local government areas.

Operation Compass ran over the Easter and ANZAC Day long weekends in an effort to reduce road trauma, with a focus on distraction, fatigue, impaired driving, speed and seatbelts.

Despite the heightened police presence on the major thoroughfares of the Wangaratta Police Service Area, 12 drink and drug drivers were caught from 24-27 April after 11 drug drivers were detected in the operation's first week.

Sergeant Shaun Hillier of Wangaratta Highway Patrol said while there was a reduction in local road-related incidents, the 300 traffic offences recorded throughout the operation were “concerningly high”.

“I am extremely concerned by the results,” he said.

“The statistics are well and truly above what we expect… it boggles my mind how people can be so silly.

“Given some of the dangerous behaviours we witnessed, our community could have very easily recorded more deaths or serious injuries on our road.”

Local police conducted 9755 Preliminary Breath Tests across Wangaratta, Alpine and Moira shires over the duration of the operation.

Alpine cluster members from Bright, Myrtleford and Mount Beauty teamed up during Operation Compass for a combined effort Preliminary Testing Site on the Great Alpine Road at Porepunkah.

Some 713 tests were conducted, and while no drink driving offences were detected several penalty notices were issued for traffic offences.

Across Victoria, one in every 21 drivers tested for drugs returned positive tests as more than 700 drunk and drug drivers and about 4800 speeding offences were detected.

Police also caught more than 850 unlicenced, disqualified or suspended drivers and issued 1418 infringements for disobeying traffic signs or signals, mobile phone use and seatbelt noncompliance.

There have been 95 lives lost on the state’s roads so far this year, up from 92 at the same time last year.