Aust'n police launch campaign to tackle motorbike road toll 

Police from the Australian state of Victoria have launched a campaign to stop its "horrific" motorcycle road toll from spiralling further out of control.

Victoria Police on Monday announced it would put Operation Motus into action following 29 motorbike rider deaths on the state's roads through the first five months of 2016.

The Australian state is on the brink of surpassing last year's mark of 30 rider fatalities, despite not even being halfway through the year.

Victoria Police's Assistant Commissioner, Doug Fryer, said the taskforce would target speeding, drink-driving, drug-driving and those disregarding road safety.

"We've had an absolute horror start to this year," Fryer said in a statement published by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

"We know that some of those riders have been unlicensed. We know some of them have been speeding.

"A number of them have simply been inattention. Inattention on a motorbike, when travelling at 100 km per hour, can have fatal consequences."

Police will use new lightweight motorbikes, which can better navigate through tight traffic, in their operation.

Fryer said Melbourne's motorcycle hotspots, such as Kings Way and Eastern Freeway, would be law enforcement officers' main focus.

In one of the worst months on Australia's roads since introduction of seat belts and drink-driving laws, 19 motorcyclists were killed in Victoria in February alone.

Almost one-third of the fatalities involved unlicensed riders, according to police.

Fryer said bikers should carry their license with them at all times, and expect to be pulled over.

"We just ask all riders to ride within their skill and ability and their license conditions and stay safe on the roads," Fryer said on Friday.

A 46-year-old Melbourne man died in hospital at the weekend after crashing his motorbike on May 9. Endit