Police are urging all motorists to take road safety seriously as Operation Crossroads concluded with a significant number of infringement notices issued for driving offences.

“With the annual Operation Crossroads concluded for another year, it’s disappointing to see the number of infringement notices issued over the period, and the number of people that were put at risk by poor driver behaviours,” said Acting Inspector Justin Lawson.

“During Operation Crossroads 795 infringement notices were issued for speeding offences. That’s nearly 800 instances where a driver or rider put themselves and others at risk of serious injury and death on our roads,” said Acting Inspector Lawson.

“Excessive speed is the single largest contributor to fatal and serious injury crashes on our roads.

“I urge every driver and rider to slow down, obey the speed limit, and remember that it’s not just their life on the line when they get behind the wheel.

“It’s timely to remind riders of off-road and recreational vehicles, including trail-bikes and ATV’s of the importance of wearing appropriate safety gear and riding safely and responsibly. Riders are more vulnerable than drivers and the consequences if they crash can be devastating.”

During the Operation Crossroads period from 21 December to 1 January, there was 1 fatal crash and 9 serious injury crashes on our roads.

“Every death and serious injury on our roads is one too many. The life-long impact on everyone involved in a crash is devastating.

“Police urge every road user to make the right choice.

“There are fines for disobeying the road rules, but the real penalty could be seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else.”

All motorists are reminded of the ‘fatal five’ contributing factors to fatal and serious injury crashes:

• Seatbelts – Buckle up every person in the vehicle, seatbelts save lives.
• Speeding – Obey the speed limit, it’s there for a reason
• Alcohol/drugs – Never drive after drinking or taking drugs, you’ll be putting more than your life on the line.
• Distractions – Pay attention, one moment of distraction is all it takes to cause a crash.
• Fatigue – Rest if you’re tired, arriving late is better than not arriving at all.

“Although Operation Crossroads has concluded, police remain committed to improving driver behaviour, and targeting high risk driving behaviours.”