More than 500 speeding infringements have been issued during a major border-focused school holiday traffic operation aimed at reducing road trauma.
Operation Border to Border ran from Friday 27 September 2024 to Saturday 28 September 2024, targeting the key transport routes of the Princes Highway and Pacific Highway and Motorway between the Queensland border and Victorian border.
The two-day high-visibility operation involved more than 150 officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command from Northern, Central Metropolitan and Southern regions, targeting speeding, dangerous driving, impaired driving, distracted driving and driver fatigue.
The operation was bolstered in the border regions by highway patrol officers from Queensland Police and Victoria Police.
The operation utilised mobile and stationary random breath testing and random drug testing.
In total, 2600 random breath tests and more than 400 random drug tests were conducted.
NSW Police detected 17 positive breath tests and 52 positive drug tests. 520 drivers were detected speeding, with 10 drivers charged with exceed speed limit by more than 45 km/hr.
There were a further 31 disqualified, suspended or unlicensed drivers detected and 421 other traffic infringement notices including 18 drivers issued with mobile phone offences.
An additional 29 traffic-related charges and 15 criminal charges were laid, with seven heavy-vehicle infringements and one defect notice issues.
Items of note,
- About 9.15pm on Friday (27 September 2024), officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were performing stationary speed enforcement at the rest area on Mount Ousley Road, Mount Pleasant. Officers allegedly detected a Tesla travelling at 125km/hr in an 80km/hr zone. Officers pulled over the driver. They will allege the car was not displaying registration plates and the driver did not hold a current NSW drivers’ license. A 30-year-old male was arrested and taken to Wollongong Police Station. He was charged with Class A motor vehicle exceed speed, drive when driver visiting privileges withdrawn, use unregistered, and uninsured motor vehicle on road, use uninsured motor vehicle on road, use vehicle on road or road related area motor vehicle tax not paid and use registrable vehicle not display authorised number plates number-plates. He was granted conditional bail to appear before Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday 15 October 2024.
- About 11pm on Friday 27 September 2024, officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command were conducting stationary speed enforcement, when they detected two cars exiting the Rozelle interchange on the Anzac Bridge, allegedly at 128km/hr in a 60km/hr zone. Officers pulled over both vehicles. Both male drivers aged 18, were issued traffic infringement notices – one for P1 driver exceed speed limit over 45km/h and the other with P2 driver exceed speed limit over 45km/hr. Both were fined $2959 and had their NSW driver’ licenses suspended for six months.
- About 7am on Saturday 28 September 2024, police attempted to stop a vehicle on the M1 Pacific Motorway at Tweed Heads due to allegedly being unregistered. When the vehicle allegedly failed to stop, a pursuit was initiated. When the vehicle stopped, a 51-year-old man was arrested. A subsequent search of the vehicle allegedly revealed two sets of number plates. The man was taken to Tweed Heads Police Station where he was charged with 13 offences including: never licensed person drive vehicle on road, use unregistered registrable Class A motor vehicle on road, use uninsured motor vehicle on road, refuse or fail to submit to breath test, refuse to produce Aust drivers licence/state name/address, refuse or fail to submit to breath analysis, refuse or fail to submit to oral fluid test, and unlawfully possess number plates. He was issued a court attendance notice to appear before Tweed Heads Local Court on Monday 28 October 2024.
