Tasmanians are being given a strong message about long-distance travel on the roads over Easter – take a break or you’re risking your life, your passengers’ lives, and the lives of other road users.

“Let’s all take responsibility, look after each other, and aim for a fatality-free Easter,” Mr O’Byrne said.

“If you’re driving for a while, have a rest. A few seconds of inattention can cause a serious crash.

Drivers should schedule regular breaks to revive and stay focussed,” he said.

Drivers should make sure they get at least seven-and-a-half hours sleep the night before starting their holiday journey. While driving, they should have a 10-minute break every couple of hours to help stay alert.

“It’s Government’s duty to invest smartly and strategically in the safest possible road conditions. And it’s every driver’s responsibility to stay focussed, drive responsibly, and obey the law,” he said.

The Police Commissioner, Darren Hine, said everyone has a role to play in road safety.

“We want everyone to be safe on our roads. We continue to provide a reassuring presence and enforce the law,” Commissioner Hine said.

“Our advice is to take your time getting to your destination, drive to the weather conditions, don’t even consider driving if you’ve had a few drinks, and obey the speed limit,” he said.

Operation Crossroads will run from 00:01 Thursday March 28th to 23:59 Monday April 1st. There’ll be a marked increase of police on our roads conducting High visibility patrols, Speed Cameras and RBT sites – all aimed at increasing road safety awareness, and reducing serious injury crashes.

Motorists are also urged to contact 131 444, to report any incidents of dangerous driving.

The Chairman of the Road Safety Advisory Council, John Gledhill, said motorists should give 100 per cent of their attention to driving, and always be mindful of not being distracted.

“Simple distractions can cause a fatal or serious-injury collision that can happen in seconds,” Mr Gledhill said.

“Before you start the car, turn off your mobile phone so you cannot be tempted to answer it.
“Select your music for the journey, make sure everyone in the car has what they need, put your seatbelt on and make sure everyone else’s is on.

“Ask yourself: am I ready to concentrate 100 per cent on driving?” he said.

Mr Gledhill said as soon as a driver felt tired, they should immediately get off the road and rest, or hand-over the driving.

There’ll be Driver Reviver stations at five locations on Easter Monday:

• St Peters Pass on the Midland Highway in the south
• The Sidling Lookout in the north-east
• Parramatta Creek in the north
• Fossey River in the north-west
• The Franklin River Nature Trail in the south-west.