KINGSTON police will be tough on motorists breaking road rules over the coming Labour Day weekend.
They will be out in force in Operation Arid starting early on Friday 6 March and ending at midnight 9 March.
To beef up the police presence, highway patrol shifts have been rostered on top of normal police patrols over the four days.
“The City of Kingston has already seen one fatal collision this year which is well up on last year’s statistics. Injury collisions are also of concern,” Local Area Commander, Inspector Bruce Wemyss, said.
A visible police presence will ensure that key causes of road trauma are targeted, such as excessive speed, alcohol and drug-affected driving, distraction offences and non-compliance, such as not wearing seatbelts.
“Holiday periods always present challenges for local police around road safety,” the inspector said. “We will have police out in force, ensuring that motorists are being responsible on our local roads.
“If you are out and about during the long weekend there is every likelihood you will be breath and/or drug tested.”
Inspector Wemyss said key danger times for drivers were the long hours spent driving long distances on unfamiliar roads, and those spent returning. “We want to make sure that we set a high standard when people leave and return home.”
He said police had strategies to identify drivers using mobile phones and laptops while driving. “We know that distraction and inattention is one of the main contributors to road trauma and this will be very much a focus for us moving forward.”
Over the same weekend last year, police in Kingston were “very active” charging seven drink-drivers, nine disqualified drivers and 22 unlicensed drivers.
Fines were issued over 42 unregistered vehicles, 94 speeding offences, 28 mobile phone offences, 12 seat belt offences and 30 for disobeying a traffic control signs and signals. One of the cars intercepted during the campaign was impounded.
“I implore motorists to be vigilant and not to be one those penalised for breaching road rules,” he said.
