Double demerits will be in place from Thursday to Monday for all speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, riding without a helmet and mobile phone offences.

And, police say, as a further long-weekend road safety measure, an additional demerit point will apply for all other traffic offences.

The officer in charge of road policing, A/Insp Mark Richardson, said busy roads were no excuse for dangerous driving.

“We would much rather you be delayed by a few minutes or even an hour, than have a crash,” he said.

“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. That means slow down, overtake safely and pay attention to the road. Put the phone down because we want you to get to your destination safely. Help us do that by driving as safely as you can.”