As part of the King’s Birthday road safety campaign, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officers are reinforcing the need to slow down when behind the wheel by demonstrating the faster a car travels, the less reaction time a driver has and the longer it takes for the vehicle to stop.
The Command will be assisted by general duties and specialist police from all police commands in NSW to target excessive speed, alcohol and drug driving, distraction including mobile phone use, fatigue and restraint and helmet offences.
Double demerits will be in place for speeding, mobile phone use, seatbelt and helmet offences.
The double demerit period starts at 12.01am Friday, and runs through until 11.59pm on Monday.
The operation seeks to reduce the number of lives lost on NSW roads, which this year is already at 156 - 11 higher than the same time last year.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Assistant Commissioner David Driver said the community had now been warned that officers would be out in force in an effort to protect motorists across the weekend.
“Speeding remains the highest cause of road fatalities, and we are again asking every driver to take responsibility and slow down this long weekend,” he said.
“The stopping distance is the total space a vehicle needs to come to a complete stop, and it increases dramatically as speed rises.
"If a driver is travelling at 100km an hour and is confronted with a sudden hazard, it could take about the length of a football field to stop.
“At 60 km/h, a driver typically needs more than 40 metres to stop. At 80 km/h, that distance can increase to more than 60 metres, depending on road conditions, tyres and the driver’s alertness.
“That difference can be the space between a near-miss and a fatal crash.
“This is why police consistently reinforce that every kilometre over the limit increases risk.
“Higher speeds reduce the time drivers have to respond, increase the distance needed to stop, and significantly worsen the severity of any crash.
“If you’re travelling this weekend, give yourself time, drive to the conditions, and don’t take risks.”
Plan your trip by downloading the Live Traffic NSW app, visiting livetraffic.com, calling 132 701, or using the TfNSW journey planning tool myjourneynsw.info.
Members of the public are urged to report motorists engaged in dangerous driving to CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
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