WITH Australia Day on the horizon, Bathurst Highway Patrol officers are preparing to hit the road to ensure everyone is travelling safely.
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Police will commence the annual Australia Day policing operation from midnight on Friday, with the operation set to span more than a week.
Bathurst Highway Patrol Sergeant Ryan Baird said it was longer than usual.
"The reason for the length of the operation is due to the two weekends either side of the public holiday and the expected increase in traffic on the roads during this time due to the end of the school holidays," he said.
Police will be out in force through to January 30, targeting excessive or inappropriate speed, alcohol and drug driving, fatigue, distraction offences (Mobile phones) and restraint/helmet offences.
They will be patrolling roads across the region, but there will be a particular focus on the major highways.
"During this operation we will focus on breath and drug testing, mobile speed enforcement and high visibility patrols on all major highways," Sgt Baird said.
The Australia Day operation comes just a couple weeks after the conclusion of the statewide Christmas/New Year operation.
Bathurst motorists were generally well behaved, but there were a handful of major incidents on the roads.
Among them were two significant speeding offences by motorists on Mount Panorama, clocked at in excess of 100km/h, making the iconic spot a focal point for the Australia Day operation.
"With Mount Panorama being the landmark of Bathurst, it is always going to be the centre of attention for both locals and visitors," Sgt Baird said.
"My team will frequently patrol Mount Panorama during holiday periods and the amount of speeding offences we detect up there never fails to surprise us. The speed limit is pretty clear, but some people just don't get it."
Sgt Baird encouraged motorists travelling for the holiday to plan their trip and drive safely, saying there is "no justification for unsafe driving behaviour".
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