The New England North West region remained fatality free over the Australia Day weekend but plenty of drivers fell foul of the law.

“It was pleasing to see that there was no fatalities and no major crashes but we still caught people drink driving and drug driving and speeding and not wearing a seatbelt,” Oxley highway patrol Sergeant Michael Buko said.

“Motorists are still taking unnecessary risks which could cost them their licence or their life if a crash occurred.”

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Operation Safe Arrival – the double demerit police blitz which saw extra officers deployed onto the roads between Friday and Monday at midnight – resulted in 3,000 random breath tests across the Peel cluster, which covers the Oxley and New England policing districts.

Six drivers were booked for drink driving including one high and one mid-range.

A driver will front court after rolling through a roundabout in Narrabri and almost colliding with a police car about 2.45pm on Australia Day.

The driver later allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading of .219 – more than four times the legal limit.

In Tamworth, a Queensland p-plater drove around a stationary RBT site on Bridge Street in Tamworth about 10pm on Australia Day.

She was stopped on Ebsworth Street and is alleged to have blown .066. The woman was charged with PCA and issued an infringement for failing to stop for officers.

Sergeant Buko said close to 160 tickets were issued for various offences, on top of 16 fines for motorists caught without a seatbelt on.

“That’s 16 people not wearing their seatbelt, 16 people that could have lost their life after setting out on the road,” he said.

“Over 200 speeding tickets were issued, 200 people caught speeding around the cluster.

“There is no excuse.”

The influx of extra police from highway patrol units in Sydney saw extra patrols in the outlying areas like Nundle, Barraba and Walcha, and not just in the festival hot spots in Tamworth.