EXTRA POLICE OFFICERS TO COMBAT ROAD TOLL

An extra 264 highway patrol officers will be on the beat from tomorrow, in an effort to reduce the state’s climbing road toll.

Operation Saturation will focus on 10 areas that have recorded the highest number of fatalities.

Among them, Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes, the Mid North Coast and Tweed/Byron.

“The message is people need to slow down, drive to the conditions and pay attention to their surroundings. If they can do that, then we can turn this spike in road fatalities around, said Highway Patrol Commander, Superintendent Bob Ryan.

So far 45 people have been killed since the start of the year – that’s up 11 compared to the same time last year.

The 12-day blitz wraps up on February 18.

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