SAPOL is urging drivers to take care on the roads during the holiday season.
SAPOL Limestone Coast Local Service Area Inspector Karmen Conway said the region would experience a peak of tourist activity over the summer period.
“The impact the high-water event is having in the Riverland is we are seeing lots of people wanting to try and re-book their holiday vacations and obviously the influx is coming into the South East,” Inspector Conway said.
“Which is fantastic for us as a region to have the additional tourist activity, but with that obviously brings increased use of the roads.”
Inspector Conway said SAPOL was appealing for the community to be mindful of their driving behaviours and said it was everybody’s responsibility to ensure the roads were safe.
She said when attending Christmas functions, it was critical that people organised a designated driver or chose not to drink for the safety of all road users and themselves.
Inspector Conway also emphasised the importance of not using mobile phones whilst driving and not speeding.
“So making sure that if the phone rings that you do not have the temptation to answer it whilst you are driving because that phone call can wait,” she said.
“We need to watch our speed as well, because we know that just that slight increase and that creep can have catastrophic impacts with that.
“We need to be making sure that everybody drives to the destination they are aiming to get to in one piece and being safe in doing so.”
Inspector Conway said it was important if people saw something that was amiss to act early and call 131 444 to notify SAPOL to hopefully ensure everyone had a safe, fun and festive period.
“With this Christmas period and summer holiday period there is going to be lots of activity and sometimes people have too much to drink, and their behaviours are impacted accordingly,” she said.
“The reality is for us that this is our very first Christmas over the last couple of years where we have had absolutely no restrictions in that COVID space and so, rightfully so, we all want to go and celebrate like we used to.
“But we just need to be really mindful of our behaviours and the impact that can have on everybody else.
“It is everybody’s right to have fun, but it is also everybody’s responsibility to do so correctly.”
