Police are concerned about the number of motorists speeding and driving with illicit drugs or too much alcohol in their system in the Hunter region during the annual Christmas-New Year double demerit period - with more than 600 booked for those offences in 11 days.
The operation, which put more police on the roads across the state and slapped drivers and riders with twice the penalties for speeding, seatbelt, helmet and mobile phone offences, began on December 24 and wrapped up on Monday night.
In the Hunter alone, police issued 572 speeding tickets, charged 38 motorists for testing positive to a drug and pinged 31 for drink-driving.
Hunter highway patrol Sergeant Glenn Swift told the Newcastle Herald those numbers were "much higher than they should be".
"The impaired driving is a major causing factor to major injury and fatal collisions," Sergeant Swift said.
"It's disappointing to see people still taking risks.
"These are all preventable detections - things we shouldn't have to be dealing with."
Police expect to charge a 27-year-old man after the b-double truck he was driving on the M1 near the Morisset exit ran up the back of a Pantech truck towing a trailer at the weekend.
The collision caused both vehicles to roll onto their sides and forced the closure of southbound lanes on the motorway for about two hours.
During the operation, the NSW Police Northern Region - which stretches from the Hawkesbury River to the Queensland border - recorded 2617 speeding infringements, 200 drink-driving charges, 120 restraint infringements and 71 motorists were caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
Sergeant Swift's message mirrored what police in Sydney had to say on Tuesday about the state as a whole.
The state's highway patrol commander Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty said there was a concerning number of incidents involving speeding and drink-driving throughout NSW during the 11-day period.
"We will continue to have a zero-tolerance approach to law breakers," he said.
"The end of the double demerit operation isn't an excuse to forget the road rules, including the speed limit.
"Highway patrol officers, together with local police, will continue to have a high-visibility presence in metro and regional areas across the state, targetting speeding, fatigue, and drink, drug, dangerous and distracted driving."
New NSW Police Minister Paul Toole, who was sworn into the position in December, said police would continue to use "enforcement and education" to keep people safe on the state's roads.
