It kicked off at midnight!
Slow down, keep your hands off your phone, and look out for emergency vehicles – this is the message for NSW motorists from police as the holiday season kicks off.
From today (Thursday 18th April), NSW police will be enforcing double demerits punishment and serious fines on our roads over the Easter period through to ANZAC Day.
Double demerits will be in force from Thursday 18th April to Monday 22nd April, and from Wednesday 24th April through to Sunday 28th April – totaling at ten days of harsher penalties over the next fortnight.
Police will be targeting everything from speeding to helmet use, with a focus on illegal use of mobile use and failing to slow for emergency vehicles.
Those caught speeding 10km/h above the limit will lose eight demerit points and be fined $353.
Drivers who fail to wear a seatbelt or are caught wearing a defective one will lose six points on the spot and cop a $330 fine.
Motorists are also being warned to ensure they are following recently introduced road rules such as restrictions on mobile phones, rules regarding emergency vehicles, and laws surrounding helmet use on motorcycles.
If you are caught using a mobile phone on the road – even when stopped at traffic lights or in stand-still traffic – you can be deducted ten demerit points and fined $337.
If you’re passing emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road, make sure to slow down to 40km/h or cop a $448 fine and six demerit points.
Motorcyclists are also being warned to wear helmets or receive a $337 fine and six demerit points. Passengers must also be wearing a helmet, or an additional 12 demerit points can be deducted.
To find out more about the double demerits period in NSW, click here.
SEE ALSO: Central Coast fuel prices begin to climb as Easter approaches
Written by Kate Stevens
Images: Getty
