Double demerits will be in place on New South Wales roads for speeding, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet offences from Christmas Eve until January 4.
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Operation Safe Arrival, the state’s Christmas-New Year road safety campaign, started at 12.01am on Friday, December 19 and runs until 11.59pm Sunday, January 4.
As of Tuesday morning the NSW holiday road toll stood at two after the deaths of a 57-year-old woman at Prestons on Sunday, and a 28-year-old man at Caringbah on Friday.
Police are reminding motorists to think about the choices they make while they are in a vehicle after 51 people were injured in 184 crashes on the first day of Operation Safe Arrival.
“The aftermath of a crash where someone is injured can sometimes resonate long after the headlines have faded,” Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said.
“You have the initial stages after the crash where a person might be in hospital receiving treatment for days or weeks.
“Then there is any rehabilitation that person might have to undergo along with the time away from their employment.
“The impact of such a crash is also projected on to members of that person’s family or friends who might have to take time off to care for their loved one.
“The majority of crashes on our roads can usually be attributed to either speeding, being impaired by either drugs or alcohol, driving while you are tired or being distracted.
“I am appealing to drivers and their passengers to think about the choices they make every time they get into a vehicle.
“If a passenger sees the driver is acting inappropriately, they should speak up.”
By the third day of Operation Safe Arrival police had detected 3714 people travelling above the speed limit, an increase of 1481 on the same point in the 2013/14 operation.
Police had conducted 163,595 random breath tests and charged 218 people with drink driving, a decrease of 80 on the same point in the 2013/2014 operation.
