POLICE are warning drivers to be smart on the roads this long weekend or cop double demerit points.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
“Let’s use our brains this long weekend and arrive alive at our locations,” Oxley Police District highway patrol Sergeant Mick Buko said.
“We’ve got a lot of people still taking drugs and driving within a short period of time – we’re out there drug testing as well as breath testing.
“People are touching phones when they’re driving and being distracted by other people in the car, we’ve got people not wearing seatbelts – it still begs believe why they would go out not wearing a seatbelt.”
Operation Slow Down begins at midnight on Thursday September 27 and finishes Monday October 1 at midnight.
Double demerit points are in effect for the whole period with police targeting speeding, drink-driving, drug-driving, fatigue, mobile phone use and not wearing seatbelts or helmets.
In the year to date there have been 237 fatal crashes in NSW resulting in 255 deaths.
Sergeant Buko reminded drivers to take regular breaks at driver reviver stops and be aware of other drivers on the road.
With places like Armidale, Tamworth and Gunnedah on the highway, the towns become major thoroughfares for weekend travellers, heightening the risk of crashes.
Read also:
“We’re asking people to reduce their speed and pay attention to what they’re doing when they’re driving,” Sergeant Buko said.
“We want all the families to get to their parties and family functions over this long weekend safely.”
Police will be scattered at hot spots across the city and any officer in the state can conduct a random drug test.
They are asking members of the public to report fatigue when they see it, one of the biggest signs is drivers drifting in and out of lanes.
“They might appear to be falling asleep or not paying attention,” Sergeant Buko said.
“That’s a big sign for us and if anyone sees someone they think might be fatigued, drug or alcohol affected we ask them to call 000 straight away.”
The afternoon going into evening and early morning have been identified as high risk times for drivers, this long weekend Oxley Police District officers will be stationed in the main streets and suburbs.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
