Motorist's 'sightseeing' road trip ends in $2,800 fine as police make Easter plea

A motorist on a sightseeing road trip copped a whopping fine and a driving ban after being caught driving 68 km over the speed limit.

The 35-year-old international driver was caught by NSW Police travelling at 168kph in a signposted 100kph zone on Easter Saturday at around 2:20pm.

When cops pulled over the vehicle, the driver told officers he "just took over a car" – but it was reported police observed no other vehicles at the time of the incident. He said he was returning home after sightseeing in the picturesque New England region of NSW.

Motorist cops whopping fine

The driver was issued a $2,794 fine for exceeding the speed limit over 45kph and had driving privileges in NSW revoked for 6 months.

"Please slow down and drive safely this long weekend," a NSW police officer said.

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Double demerits in place to protect drivers

In a bid to protect road users, police are dishing out double demerits in NSW, Western Australia and the ACT from Thursday, March 28 until Monday April 1, police will dish

The operation will apply for offences including speeding, using a phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and riding without a helmet.

In NSW and the ACT, mobile phone detection cameras are active and drivers caught using their phones during a double-demerit period will be hit with a $352 fine – $469 in a school zone – and 10 demerits.

For Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, there are no double demerits, but extra police officers will be patrolling the roads over the long weekend.

In Queensland, the double-demerit system works slightly differently and is constantly employed, rather than getting wheeled out for busy long weekends.

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