"THERE'S nothing you can say to people who have lost a loved one."
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That's why Traffic and Highway Patrol Inspector Ben Macfarlane is encouraging everybody to stay safe on our roads this Easter long weekend.
During his decades in the police force, Inspector Macfarlane has seen several tragic road fatalities first-hand.
He has also had the job of informing family members of the death of their next of kin.
"I've done it many times over the years," he said.
It's something that never gets easier.
"It's a really tough job. There's nothing you can say to people who have lost a loved one," Inspector Macfarlane said.
Having had these experiences, he said that there is always a sense of anxiety coming into long weekends and higher traffic conditions.
"I think that it's fair to say that police would be apprehensive about what they might encounter on the road," he said.
"We do have periods where we don't have anything nasty happen, which is great, and it gives you a sense of achievement when you can get through an Easter long weekend or something like that with no major crashes."
To help ensure the safety of everyone on the roads this long weekend, Inspector Macfarlane said there will be a significant increase in police presence, targeting all negative behaviour.
"We will target all bad driving behaviour: speeding, drug and drink-driving, not wearing restraints, stationary and mobile testing, any offences committed on the road," he said.
Double demerit period
This increased police presence will continue beyond the Easter double-demerit period and through to the Anzac Day long weekend.
"We've got the Easter long weekend operation, which also rolls into the Anzac Day long weekend operation," he said.
"We're seeing it as one long operational period for our Highway Patrol staff and also the police district staff who are going to help us with breath testing, drug testing and general deterrents for bad behaviour on the road.
"All the police we have available are working through this period and focusing on keeping people safe."
This year, double demerits will run for five days over the Easter holidays, from 12.01am on Thursday, April 17, until 11.59pm on Monday, April 21.
Double demerits will kick in again from 12.01am on Thursday, April 24, and run until 11.59pm on Sunday, April 27.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure there are no deaths from avoidable traffic accidents.
NSW road fatalities in 2025
So far this year, there have been 103 fatalities on NSW roads, an increase from this time in 2024 when the numbers were at 99 deaths.
Of those fatalities this year, 19 were aged 26 to 35, 18 were aged 76 to 95, followed by 17 aged between 18 to 25.
Forty-five were drivers, 17 were passengers, 27 were motorcyclists, nine were pedestrians, and five were cyclists.
"Every single number concerns me. Our major crash numbers are starting to creep up again," Inspector Macfarlane said.
"Crashes affect people. It affects family, friends, emergency responders, and it has other flow-on effects: increased insurance premiums, disruption to the road network, and all those sorts of things."
That's why he said doing the right thing is critically important.
Overall, his message was simple.
"Please just drive safely and take your time on the road. At 100 kilometres an hour between Bathurst and Lithgow, it's going to take you about 40 minutes, going 120, it's going to take you about 35," he said.
"Is it really worth it, risking others and yourself for five minutes?"
