A man has been charged with culpable driving following the death of a Victoria Police officer during a memorial motorcycle ride for slain officers in Victoria’s east.

Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk, 59, was riding alongside his son, also a police officer, in the Wall to Wall charity ride from Melbourne to Canberra when he was killed on Friday.

A car driving in the opposite direction on the Princes Highway east of Orbost, in far eastern Victoria, allegedly veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with Detective Senior Sergeant Kostiuk’s motorcycle.

He and his son had been travelling about 10 minutes ahead of the main group of 300 riders.

Police said the driver, a 21-year-old man from Botanic Ridge, in Melbourne’s south-east, was charged and remanded in custody and will appear in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court on Monday.

Senior police paid tribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Kostiuk, saying his death was a “tremendous loss” to Victoria Police.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kostiuk was working as the officer in charge of the Family Violence unit at Frankston and was “chuffed” to have been appointed to the more senior position in recent months.

The officers taking part in the charity ride at the time of the crash and were “sullen but determined” to complete the ride, which ended in Canberra on Saturday.

The officer’s death was one of four in a 24-hour period on Victorian roads and prompted a warning from police to all road users.

-ABC