MOST motorists in the Chifley region seem to have got the message about not driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
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From the start of Operation Safe Arrival, on December 15, to midnight Wednesday, Chifley Highway Patrol officers had conducted 3551 random breath tests.
Of those 3551 tested, only seven people have been charged with PCA offences, while just one returned a positive reading for drugs.
Chifley Highway Patrol senior constable Jason Marks said that motorists were generally behaving well over the holiday period.
“Around this area it has been pretty good,” he said.
“We’ve had a couple of PCA offences, speed, a bit of everything.
“In general, [behaviour] has been good.”
This comes as senior police from the NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol and Victorian Road Policing commands have come together to take a stand on unsafe behaviour on country and regional roads.
NSW regional roads have claimed 285 lives this year, compared with 103 in metropolitan areas, while in Victoria, 150 have died on country roads, compared with 104 in Metropolitan areas.
As of Wednesday, NSW and Victoria had together lost 642 lives on roads during 2017.
Senior constable Marks said there have been a number of fatalities on roads around Bathurst, with multiple occurring on the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange.
He said many of the fatal accidents had been fatigue or speed related.
He advised motorists to take precautions while driving to make sure they arrive at their destination, particularly around Christmas and New Year when there are more vehicles on the roads.
“Take sufficient rest breaks every two hours, hydrate, have air-con on in the car, keep to the speed limit, don’t drink or take drugs, and keep clear of mobile phones,” senior constable Marks said.
Over the holiday, no one wants to get a call saying a loved one has been injured or killed on the road, and exercising caution can prevent people receiving that call.
Senior Constable Marks said the impact of an accident can be wide-spread.
“This doesn’t affect the family alone, it affects the police and any other emergency services involved in a crash on our roads,” he said.
