An unlicensed driver has been charged with high range drink-driving at Orange, and another man has lost his life after a single-vehicle crash at Coolatai, during the first day of Operation Safe Arrival, NSW Police say.
Operation Safe Arrival, the state’s Christmas/New Year road safety operation, started at 12.01am on Friday 21 December 2018, and will continue until 11.59pm on Tuesday 1 January 2019.
Double demerits will be in place over the entire long-weekend for all speeding, mobile phone, seatbelt and motorcycle-helmet offences.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy of the Traffic & Highway Patrol Command, has once again appealed for road users to consider their actions while travelling these holidays.
"It’s disappointing to see such reckless behaviour on one man’s behalf, and even more unfortunate to see the first life lost during Operation Safe Arrival," Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.
"This fatality means another family will have a loved one missing from holiday celebrations.
"If that isn’t enough to encourage people to drive safely, I don’t know what is," Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.
Some examples of inappropriate driver behaviour detected during Day 1 (Friday 22 December 2018) of Operation Safe Arrival include:
- About 2pm (Friday 21 December 2018), police attended a crash at the intersection of Hill Street and Margaret Street, Orange. A 56-year-old driver returned a positive breath test and was arrested at the scene before being taken to Orange Police Station. The man was charged with high range PCA, unlicensed never held, and negligent driving.
- About 9.20pm (Friday 21 December 2018), police attended a single-vehicle crash on Coolatai Road, about 5km south of the Coolatai township. A 22-year-old man’s vehicle has left the road and overturned, before crashing into a tree, causing the vehicle to catch fire. He was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
- About 6.15am (Saturday 22 December 2018), emergency services were called to the Sturt Highway, Galore after reports a vehicle had left the road and overturned. A man and a woman were extricated from the vehicle and taken to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, both in a critical condition. The pair are expected to be flown to Canberra Hospital.
Key statistics (Cumulative total – started on 21 December 2018):
Total infringements issued (not speeding): 2,198
Speed infringements: 1,152
Breath tests: 47,638
Drink-driving charges: 26
Lives lost: 1
