Motorists put on alert over traffic blitz

Pilbara residents returning home from holidays across the State are being warned to drive carefully as police prepare for a traffic blitz.

Traffic police will be based at multiple locations along the North West Coastal Highway, with teams from Karratha, Roebourne, Dampier, Pannawonica, Onslow and Exmouth expected to be involved.

The operation will take place during daylight hours this Thursday and Friday to stop drivers doing the wrong thing. It coincides with the end of the school holiday period, when it is expected families will be driving back to the Pilbara from elsewhere in WA, particularly this year because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Pilbara Traffic Sgt Ian Morris said he wanted everyone to return home safely.

“We do know that over the Christmas period most of the Karratha population leaves town and heads out on holidays,” he said.

“With COVID-19, this year more than others people will be taking their vehicles down to Perth or further up into the Kimberley. We believe that rather than do an enforcement, we want to advertise the fact that we are going to be out there.

“We want people to know. We want people to slow down. We want people to be looking for us. There will be no element of surprise.”

Sgt Morris said there would be a particular focus on speeding.

“We see that each year the traffic builds up towards the end of the school holidays, but we also have noticed, and intelligence has given us, that 50 per cent of the traffic is exceeding speed limits over those days heading back to our towns up this way,” he said.

“Our target is zero.

“We don’t want any speeders.

“The common myth is that when you see one police car, you are pretty safe after that.

“But every town you go through and every part of the highway, there will be a marked traffic car.”