THE Christmas long weekend has been a tragic one across the North West, with two men dead, a paraglider left with a broken back, at least 39 people clocked speeding and even a head-on crash in suburban Tamworth.
Police have pleaded with the public to take extra care and slow down if they're driving, as they counted up the human cost of the weekend's accidents and incidents.
A number of bizarre accidents also added to the injury list.
They included an eight-year-old girl who suffered a serious wound from an arrow in her forehead, and a 36-year-old paraglider who fell from a mountain and broke his back.
The region's road toll stood at two last night, after a 66-year-old man was killed in an accident on the Newell Highway on Monday night.
The man, from Margate in Queensland, hit a kangaroo and was thrown off his Suzuki Intruder motorbike on the highway, 30km north of Moree, at 7.10pm.
He suffered a cardiac arrest, among other injuries, and was taken to Moree Hospital in a critical condition but died just before 4am yesterday.
His death took the NSW holiday road toll to eight, but by 6pm yesterday the toll rose to nine.
The first fatality in the north came on Christmas morning, when a 20-year-old Sydney man was killed in a crash on the New England Highway near Wallabadah.
He crashed into a tree and died at the scene.
While those unfortunate deaths should act as reminders of the road's dangers, traffic commander Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said motorists didn't seem to be heeding the road-safety message.
Assistant Commissioner Hartley said he appealed to everyone hitting the roads in the days ahead to think about their actions behind the wheel, as day six of the statewide police exercise, Operation Safe Arrival, passed yesterday.
But a head-on crash in Tamworth on Tuesday afternoon also prompted police to renew calls for motorists to be aware and alert - even when driving more slowly and in built-up areas.
Two vehicles were involved in a minor crash on the corner of Goonoo Goonoo Rd and Mathews St, but one of the drivers, a 70-year-old man, suffered facial injuries and was taken to Tamworth hospital as a result.
Tamworth highway patrol Sergeant Brett Davies said he hoped people were giving themselves enough time to get where they needed to be, but that driver behaviour in the past couple of days was proving otherwise.
"Speeding and travelling too close to other people ... that's the kind of stuff that puts the danger on the roads," Sergeant Davies said.
He said many motorists were continuing to travel safely, as traffic built up on the highways yesterday as people made their way home.
But he said there was still evidence that some were making poor decisions, such as driving too aggressively, tail-gating or overtaking at the wrong time.
He said statistics showed the majority of vehicles involved in accidents during the holiday period occurred on the open road and usually involved a single vehicle.
"They're often caused by driver fatigue or poor concentration," he said.
Sergeant Davies said police were continuing their activities as part of Operation Safe Arrival, which involves random breath-testing and speed checks, in the lead-up to the busy new year weekend.
"We're continuing on with the operation and getting as big a profile out there as possible," he said.
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