NSW: Road toll horrifically high, police say
11 Apr 2009 11:58 AM
SYDNEY, April 11 AAP - The NSW road toll is horrifically high this year, with 119 people killed since January 1, Roads Minister Michael Daley says.
The figure compares with 100 people killed on NSW roads in the same period last year.
The state's Easter holiday road toll has risen to four with the death of a pedestrian in a hit and run incident in Rosehill, in Sydney's west, on Saturday morning.
It is the third pedestrian death across the state since 0001 (AEST) on Thursday.
"We had a very good road toll last Easter," Mr Daley told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.
"In NSW last year no one lost their lives on our roads.
"Already this year we have seen four people killed on our roads this holiday period."
He urged drivers to slow down and not drive at all if affected by alcohol or fatigue.
"There are more cars on the road so chances of having an accident are increased," Mr Daley said.
"Any death on our roads has the capability to destroy families."
Since the start of the holiday period on Thursday more than 93,500 breath tests have detected 135 drivers under the effect of alcohol.
More than 2,700 speeding tickets have been issued in the same period, not including vehicles detected speeding by speed cameras.
"That's an increase of 672 tickets written for this same period last year," Mr Daley said.
A male driver pulled over by police for a random breath test was fined for not restraining a seven-month-old baby.
Meanwhile, police are still investigating the death of a 23-year-old man hit by a garbage truck in Randwick, in Sydney's east on Friday morning.
The man was lying on the road at the time of the incident
