Courts & Police
23 December, 2025
Double demerits in place until January 4
Motorists across the state are being warned that double demerits will be in place from midnight tonight (Tuesday).
Motorists across the state are being warned that double demerits will be in place from midnight tonight (Tuesday).
Double demerits will be in place from December 24 until January 4, 2026 with NSW Police targeting speeding, mobile phone use, seatbelt and motorcycle offences.
Road statistics for the year to date suggest that motorists are not heeding police warnings.
NSW Police say 351 people have lost their lives on the state’s roads already this year – 28 more than the same time last year.
Five of those deaths have occurred since a high-visibility operation commenced across the state last Friday (December 19).
During that same time people have charged almost 3000 people with speeding offences, 231 people with drink driving offences and 489 people with positive drug driving offences.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley has urged motorists to make sensible choices when taking to the roads over the Christmas-New Year period.
“Every choice on the road has consequences,” the Minister said today (Tuesday).
“People must take responsibility for their actions and ensure they are not putting themselves or others at risk.”
Ms Catley said NSW Police would not tolerate reckless or dangerous behaviour and would use “every power at their disposal” to ensure the holiday period is a safe one.
Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said the State Government was “pulling every lever” to make the state’s roads safer but it couldn’t change the decisions motorists make once they get behind the wheel.
“Every death on our roads is one death too many and we are urging all drivers to make safe choices so they can get home safely to their loved ones this holiday period,” she said.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver said the choices drivers made on the road could mean the difference between families reuniting safely or facing tragedy.
“Every road user has a moral and legal responsibility to use the roads without putting others at risk and no one wants to be saying ‘sorry’ after a crash because it is too late,” Assistant Commissioner Driver said.
Passengers are being encouraged to ‘call out’ dangerous behaviour and members of the public are being urged to report motorists engaged in dangerous driving to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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