Anzac Day long weekend double demerit points in place for five days as police warn drivers

Motorists are being warned to slow down and exercise caution as holidaymakers head out on Tuesday in the run up to Anzac Day.

A five-day period of double points began in NSW and the ACT from midnight on Thursday, April 20, and lasts until 11:59 p.m. on Anzac Day, April 25.

Police have warned they will target speeding, cell phone use while driving, and seatbelt and motorcycle helmet violations during the holiday season.

Last year, 1,187 people died on the country’s roads, 60 more than the year before, and the highest number of fatalities since 2017.

There have already been 312 deaths on Australian roads in the first three months of 2023 and police fear this number will rise further in the coming days.

A five-day double-demerit period begins in NSW and the ACT from midnight on Thursday, April 20, and continues until 11:59 p.m. on Anzac Day, April 25. Heavy traffic on Sydney’s Warringah Freeway is pictured

New South Wales, ACT

Double penalties went into effect from midnight on Thursday, April 20 and will run until 11:59 p.m. on Anzac Day, April 25.

Under the scheme first introduced in 1997, anyone caught speeding, talking on their mobile phone, driving without a helmet or not wearing a seatbelt will lose double the normal number of points on their driver’s license and receive a double fine.

With rain forecast in many regions, motorists are also being warned to remain vigilant in flood-affected areas where there may be debris on the road and infrastructure such as bridges may be damaged.

NSW Police are using a sharp double demerit warning (pictured) on social media

NSW Assistant Commissioner Tracey Chapman warned that driver fatigue appeared to be a major factor in the 109 road fatalities already recorded in NSW this year.

“Police can’t act on fatigue the same way we would enforce something like speeding, so we have to trust the public to do the right thing,” she said.

“We urge drivers to plan their journeys carefully, take regular breaks and never get behind the wheel if they are too tired to drive.”

Police are very concerned not to see a repeat of the horror period Easter weekend, in which seven people in NSW lost their lives in NSW.

This included four people who died in a head-on collision between two double cabs south of Murrumbateman on Easter Friday.

Using a mobile phone while driving (pictured) is one of the offenses that will lead to double demerits over the Anzac Day long weekend

Queensland

Queensland has a permanent system of colons that differs from the holiday-based system in other states.

Drivers who commit repeat offenses in Queensland are hit with harsher penalties.

If a driver commits the same offense two or more times in a 12-month period, double penalty points will be applied to the second and all subsequent offences.

Motorists are warned to remain vigilant around flood-affected areas. Pictured are NSW police officers talking to drivers

Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania

Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania do not have a double demerit scheme.

But police in those areas will be in place during the holiday season.

Western Australia

WA enforces double demerit around most public holidays but around Anzac Day.

Every state and territory will ramp up its police presence for the busy Anzac Day holiday in an effort to lower the country’s toll.