“There’s no excuse for any driver to be endangering their lives and those of others with unsafe behaviours,” he said.
“There are many families that have been affected by bad decision-making from behind the wheel so far this holiday.
“Drivers need to be clear that if they are driving distracted, or speeding or driving impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may cause a crash and possibly cut someone’s life short.”
During the Christmas period last year, 21 people died in road crashes.
“We will continue to have a co-ordinated, highly visible presence at high-risk locations including state highways and rural areas, during peak travel periods right throughout the country,” police said.
“If you are caught putting other people’s lives at risk, you can expect to be dealt with and don’t expect a warning.”
“Road deaths and serious injuries are preventable. We all need to do better and stop accepting people dying on our roads is what happens when driving.”
Police said enforcement action has proven to deter people from driving dangerously,
“However road safety was something we must all take responsibility for. We should all play our part to be safe on our roads, because so far, too many families have received tragic news this holiday period.
“Motorists should expect to see police anytime and anywhere over this holiday break to make sure that everyone travelling the roads and highways reaches their destination safely.
“We can all work together to avoid unnecessary road trauma.”
Police said officers would continue with record levels of breath-testing and issue infringements as part of a prevention and enforcement role.
The Ministry of Transport will be providing updates on holiday road toll data throughout the break.
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