Riverina Police District officers completed almost 5000 roadside random breath tests as part of a Christmas and New Year crackdown on road safety.
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The region has suffered a road fatality as a 19-year-old woman from Jordan Springs died overnight on Sunday from injuries sustained during a crash at Galore on Saturday.
The woman was a passenger in a Toyota Hillux that was found flipped on the southbound lane of the Sturt Highway, near Kingston Road.
Both the 19-year-old and the 23-year-old male driver were conveyed in a critical condition to Canberra Hospital.
The male remains in hospital.
A coroner will soon begin an inquest, to determine the cause of the crash.
The region’s breath test total included more than 1500 roadside random breath tests performed by Wagga police since Friday, with 150 of those done on Christmas Eve.
As of Christmas Eve, nearly 60 infringement notices had been issued, mostly in regards to seatbelts and mobile phones.
“It’s really disappointing to see that there’s been 60 offences so far, and some of those relate to seatbelts and mobile phones so we are pleading, distractions are one of the key causes of major road crashes out there,” said Inspector Adrian Telfer.
“Just insure that you’ve put your mobile phone away and you’ve got your seatbelt on.”
A Riverina Highway Patrol spokesperson said as of Tuesday afternoon officers within the Riverina Police District had administered a total of 4920 roadside breath tests.
Officers also issued 87 infringement notices for speeding, 17 notices for not wearing a seatbelt and 131 notices for other breaches of road laws.
In one incident, A 34-year-old woman was hit with 16 demerit points, substantial fines and a potential licence suspension after being caught using a mobile phone and driving without a seatbelt on Wagga’s Morgan St early on Monday afternoon.
The figures were for the period following the start of the statewide Operation Safe Arrival over the weekend.
Inspector Telfer said police would continue Operation Safe Arrival until January 2.
“You’re going to see the police out in force conducting random breath tests and drug tests,” he said.
“You’re going to see the police out at all hours of the day.”