Police are urging drivers flocking to the last winter weekend of snow to slow down and pay attention as they continue to nab motorists for speeding, not wearing seatbelts and forgetting their snow chains.
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Cooma Sergeant Stephen Banner said Operation Snow Safe, a joint NSW Police and ACT policing operation targeting speeding, impaired driving, seatbelt offences and driver fatigue, had dished out almost 1500 fines in the Monaro area since early June.
"Over the 2½-month period we've ended up with 700-odd speeding fines; it's quite a lot," he said.
"This is still a predominant problem on our roads. We're still getting drivers making silly, silly mistakes."
Cooma and Queanbeyan highway patrol officers nabbed 725 speeding drivers, 35 carloads not wearing seatbelts and three drunk drivers between June 5 and August 28.
Another 736 drivers were charged with other offences, such as driving an unregistered car or driving without snow chains.
Police have also cautioned about 660 people.
"Speeding is always going to be a standout. At the end of the day, people, out of human nature, will speed whether purposely or in a moment of neglect," Sergeant Banner said.
"We also seem to be getting quite a few unregistered cars."
Police had caught more people driving without chains through snowy areas this winter than during the same period a year earlier.
Highway officers had also caught a few people with illicit drugs in their system thanks to mouth-swab tests in Jindabyne, Cooma and Queanbeyan.
Sergeant Banner said officers would patrol roads leading to the snowfields at all hours of the day and night until Operation Snow Safe wrapped up on October 6.
He urged people flocking to the snow this weekend to slow down, pay attention and plan ahead.
"Plan your travels before you leave home and allow time to get to where you're going safely - the snow is still going to be there," he said.
"Drive to suit the conditions, obey the road rules and report bad driving. A lot of incidents we've responded to have been the result of another driver contacting us."
Slowing down was particularly important during wet and snowy conditions, he said.
"People can slip off the road in a really cold climate.
"There's every chance people are driving too fast: 30km/h could be too fast if the road is frozen or you're driving in snow."
