Winter school holidays a dangerous time to be on the road

School holidays see 20 per cent of fatal or serious crashes take place with the winter school holidays being the time when weather conditions typically contribute to serious crashes.

With school holidays already underway or about to start NSW Police are urging motorists who plan to travel across the state to drive to the weather conditions which are typically adverse in the month of July.

There have been 190 deaths this year, that is 29 more deaths than for this time last year.

‘Drivers need to be aware of the risks when travelling in wet and snowing conditions, with black ice a serious hazard on our roads at this time of year,’ said Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver.

‘Our data shows one in five serious or fatal crashes happen in the school holidays and that about two thirds of fatal crashes occur on regional areas.’

Officers will be conducting enforcement patrols and operations over the next two weeks and remind drivers ‘don’t speed, wear a seatbelt, never drive when tired, do not use a mobile phone while driving and never drive if affected by drugs or alcohol’.

Driving Tips:

– Look out for black ice, a coating of glaze ice on the surface of the road which is transparent and hard to see and can cause a loss of traction.

– Stay alert during heavy rainfall as it can cause pooling on the road, leading to an inability to control the vehicle and poor visibility.

– Avoid driving in dark and wet conditions as it carries the risk of not seeing wildlife.

– Drive to the conditions especially in regional areas like the Snowy Mountains, Orange, Bathurst and the Blue Mountains.

– Check your cars are roadworthy before travelling – monitor tyre pressure, fluids, brakes, lights, wipers and car battery to ensure they are in good working condition.