Double demerits begin at midnight

DOUBLE demerit points start at midnight tonight and will continue for five days over the Easter long weekend.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, it’s important for motorists not to speed, become distracted or use mobile phones behind the wheel when travelling this Easter.

“We cannot use this as an excuse to disobey our road rules,” Mr Elliot said.

“If you record on your mobile phone, there will be up to ten demerit points knocked against you,” he said.

“One bad mistake could cost you your licence,” he said.

Last year, there were three fatalities and 80 people injured on New South Wales Roads during the Easter long weekend period.

“Last Easter, we were in lock down . . . thats why we had such a low number of fatalities and injuries,” Mr Elliot said.

“Having just recently toured regional New South Wales, I can confirm some of those country roads are in a bad state of disrepair,” he said.

“It is highly likely that we will see over the course of the next few days, trees falling onto roads and of course in some areas, flood waters may continue to rise,” he said.

“Please make sure that if you’re unfamiliar with roads or if it a road that isn’t being used much, any consequence of a wind could put obstructions onto roads,” said Mr Elliot.

Double demerit points will apply to speeding, seatbelts, mobile phones and motorcycle helmets.