Police are expecting roads in and around the Hunter region to become congested again on Friday evening, as double demerit penalties continue to be in force throughout the weekend.
Double demerits introduced on Wednesday will continue until 11.59pm on Sunday, taking in Thursday's one-off public holiday announced as a national day of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month.
Hunter highway patrol acting Inspector Shane Dawes said there was heavy traffic at the region's usual pinch points on Wednesday afternoon, particularly on the M1 Pacific Motorway's northbound lanes between Morisset and the Tarro interchange.
Despite the higher-than-usual number of vehicles on the roads, Inspector Dawes said police were happy with the actions of motorists so far - with no major incidents to report for the period as of the time of publication.
He said police were expecting another peak flow of heavy traffic in the region on Friday evening, possibly continuing through to Saturday morning.
"Allow for additional timing travelling to and from locations, be mindful of other motorist on the road and mindful of distractions whether inside or outside the vehicle," Inspector Dawes said.
Under the double demerit penalty system, a driver not wearing a seatbelt would be hit with six points, as would a motorcycle rider not wearing a helmet. Illegally using a mobile phone while driving will cost 10 points, while speeding between 10km/h and 20km/h over the limit will attract eight points.
Extra police are on patrol while double demerits are in force.
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