Double demerits in effect from midnight tonight

Motorists heading up the Pacific Highway to a beach getaway will cop double demerit points from Friday. 

Harsher penalties for speeding, failing to wear a seat belt or talking on a mobile phone while driving come into force from midnight in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia.

So if you’re travelling north of Sydney up the busy Pacific Highway, brace yourself for double demerit points on any patch of road up to Tweed Heads.

Police highway patrol cars in New South Wales will be looking out for drivers who speed

Double demerit points will be in force on all stretches of the Pacific Highway between Tweed Heads and Sydney

From December 22 until the final minute of New Year’s Day, drivers in NSW and the ACT will incur six demerit points if they exceed the speed limit by 10 kilometres an hour.

Get caught travelling more than 20km/h over the speed limit and you will cop eight demerit points.

Driving and using a mobile phone at the same time is an offence worth eight demerit points.

Motorists will also incur six demerit points for each passenger not wearing a seat belt, with two unrestrained passengers almost enough to cause a driver to lose their licence for three months. 

In NSW and the ACT, drivers lose their licence for three months once they’ve accumulated 13 demerit points, while it’s 12 points in WA.

Double demerit points are in force longer in WA, running from Friday until Sunday, January 7.

Motorists will also cop double the punishment for drink driving, running a red light, failing to properly secure a child in a restraint and running a red light.

Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmanian and the Northern Territory don’t have double demerit points for public holidays and long weekends.

Drivers in New South Wales will incur double demerit points for speeding in a bid to prevent crashes like this

The NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol is warning motorists to brace for double demerits