Police road operation in force after increase of lives lost on the Mid North Coast

The statewide operation which commence at 12.01am on Friday 22 December 2023, will conclude at 11.59pm on Monday 1 January 2024 with double demerit points in relation for speeding, mobile phone, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet related offences.

Coffs Mid Coast Traffic Manager of Highway Patrol Acting Inspector Tswi Schutte said that police had seen speeding offences occurring on the highway already.

"That's the issue that is of concern," he said.

"Especially since that's where the main traffic flow is generally heading north.

"So we do ask people to be patient and arrive at your destination safely."

Insp. Schutte said that deployments were coming from different areas particularly highway patrol to help bolster support.

The statewide operation will be enforcing all road-related legislation, including drink and drug driving, distractions, driving tired, and any dangerous driving behaviours which put the safety of road users at risk.

It's been a dangerous year on NSW roads with a devastating rise in lives lost on the roads.

The operation comes after the NSW road toll for 2023 rose to 349 after a triple fatality on the Kamilaroi Highway took place just days before Christmas.

This is nearly 80 more deaths than 2022.

The local region has also seen a number of lives cut short on our roads throughout this year.

The Mid North Coast police district recorded 11 deaths on their roads this year, an increase from the year before.

"Obviously that's a concerning trend considering what the statistics were for last year, particularly the Mid North Coast," Insp. Schutte said.

"And that's what we're trying to drive down because our target is to get towards zero."

Insp. Schutte said that the people dying on Mid North Coast roads were from a mix of ages.

"It's certainly a mix from middle age to a component of elderly people," he said.

"We find that it's a mix of inattention but speeding and drugs and alcohol are the major factors."

A majority of the fatalities took place on local back roads, with less lives lost on the Pacfic Highway since the upgrade.

"We need to consider where our most traffic flow is which is the Pacific Highway," Insp. Schutte said

"But that's why we'll be patrolling both back roads and the Pacific Highway and that's where those deployments come in from other areas."