Geraldton police head of traffic Sgt George Tilbury issues road safety warning in the Mid West over Easter

School holidays and visitors flocking to see the solar eclipse later this month mean there could be triple the amount of traffic on local roads this Easter break, according to Geraldton police’s top traffic cop. Sgt George Tilbury has urged motorists to drive safely as multiple factors contribute to roads becoming increasingly dangerous this Easter. He said Easter was potentially one of the most dangerous times for the Mid West Gascoyne district because of the high volume of vehicles on roads, which this year will only be worsened by school holidays and the solar eclipse event happening further north, bringing with it triple the amount of traffic roads would usually see over a Easter long weekend. Sgt Tilbury said “all available resources will be utilised to police our roads”, with additional officers and cars being brought up from Perth to patrol towns and major arterial roads during the double demerit period. After their time in the Mid West, the extra resources will be moved to Exmouth to monitor the roads during the total solar eclipse on April 20, an event that is expected to bring upwards of 25,000 people including international travellers. Sgt Tilbury said police would be targeting speeding, drink- and drug-driving, seatbelt and mobile phone use and dangerous-driving offences during their Easter campaign. He said officers worked to keep people as safe as possible, not targeting them to penalise them. The target for the period is zero fatal crashes. “We call on the community to assist us to achieve this by driving safely on the roads,” Sgt Tilbury said. “Easter is a time where families can get together and enjoy a well deserved break. I implore road users to drive safely, obey the law and be courteous to others, as there will be consequences for those who put others at risk. “Patience will be required, as there will be significantly higher traffic volumes than normal. Our Easter wish is for everyone to arrive safely at their destination, even if it takes a little longer to get there.” The Easter double demerit period runs from Thursday to Monday.