Operation Tortoise all over after a bumper long weekend on Hunter roads

BY JESSICA ROUSE

If you were unlucky enough to be stuck in Easter long weekend traffic yesterday, you certainly weren't alone.

Traffic was crawling along the M1 motorway from Morisset all the way to Wyong for more than 25km, and closer to home in Heatherbrae, the Pacific Highway had its fair share of congestion.

All of the traffic eventually cleared at about 8:30pm last night.

Operation Tortoise wrapped up at midnight after four days of cracking down on speeding, drink-driving and a host of other common offences on Hunter's roads.

Across the region, police handed out over 400 speeding tickets, 1,200 Random Breath Tests (RBT) which found 27 people drink driving.

The state's road toll climbed to 11 over the long weekend, four this year have been on Hunter's roads and includes the 27-year-old man who lost his life in an accident at Brandy Hill last Thursday.

Senior police used the weekend to plead with drivers to slow down and be patient with heavy traffic throughout the state, but it didn't stop some people from putting their lives at risk.

A 19-year-old woman was caught on Newcastle Link Road driving at 143km/h in the 90km/h speed zone on a suspended Learners license on Sunday night.

She was charged with a number of offenses and will face Newcastle Local Court on Thursday 27th April 2017.

Hunter Motorists Urged to Slow Down this Easer Long Weekend

BY SARAH JAMES

Hunter drivers are being urged to slow down this long weekend, with Operation Tortoise coming into effect today with double demerit points starting at midnight.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald, Parliamentary Secretary says too many lives are still being lost on our roads, and is appealing to drivers to take it 'slow and steady'

"Last year's 2016 Easter road toll saw two fatalities on NSW roads and this year our goal is zero," he said.

"Sadly, many of us have, or will, at some stage in our lives, experience the devastating effects of road trauma and at a time where there are more people than usual using the roads we must endeavour to stay safe."

This year marks the 20th anniversary of double-demerit enforcement, which is estimated to have helped save 433 lives.

In addition to targeted police enforcement to deter dangerous behaviour such as speed, drink-driving, texting, and non-seat belt use, people can expect to see more education and awareness campaigns in high-risk locations over the Easter break.

NSW Police and Ambulance NSW are reminding drivers to take a break if driving for long periods of time, and if they plan on drinking, always make sure you have a Plan B.